THE PRINCIPLE OF LEAST ACTION

• INTRODUCTION
• A NEW DEGREE OF REFINEMENT
• MINIMIZATION
• EXAMPLE OF A MINIMIZATION LAW: FERMAT'S LEAST TIME PRINCIPLE FOR LIGHT
• RELATION TO THE EQUATIONS OF MOTION
• THE SET OF ALL PATHS
  • ONE CAVEAT: MATHEMATICS VS. PHYSICS, OR, STRAIGHT AHEAD AND DAMN THE TORPEDOES!
• MINIMIZATION AND THE SLOPE OF A VALLEY
• WHY THIS WAS THE RIGHT DIRECTION TO LOOK
• NOETHER'S THEOREM AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SYMMETRY
• CHOOSING ACTIONS BY SYMMETRY
• SYNOPSIS