The Principle of Stationary Action

My oft-requested video has finally arrived! In this lesson, I introduce the Principle of Stationary Action to begin my newest series on Analytical Mechanics. The Principle of Stationary Action serves as an exceedingly useful tool to solve higher-level problems in Classical Mechanics as well as in other branches of Physics.

It states that the path a particle follows in space can be determined by setting the action functional stationary; essentially, we can find the particle's path by solving a Calculus of Variations problem. I show that the Principle of Stationary Action is essentially equivalent to applying Newton's 2nd Law, and afterwards, I solve a simple example problem to illustrate the Principle of Stationary Action *in action* (huehuehue).

More complex versions of the Principle of Stationary Action, in addition to more complex examples, will be solved in future videos in this playlist.

Questions/requests? Let me know in the comments!

Pre-reqs: My Calculus of Variations playlist, until the 7th video - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdgVBOaXkb9CD8igcUr9Fmn5WXLpE8ZE_

Lecture Notes: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EmIVdtHEhbocjoRDeSxCmhnZqxGwK9J8
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Видео The Principle of Stationary Action канала Faculty of Khan