Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-calculus-of-variations-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2011/3/b/i/solution
Past exam of the calculus of variations course of the University of Oxford 2011 3 b i Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
In one dimension, has an absolutely continuous bounded representative. For any smooth zero-endpoint test function , the functions are admissible and arbitrarily close to for small . Local minimality forces the first variation to vanish. Differentiation under the integral is valid because are bounded and the derivative terms are integrable, giving the weak Euler-Lagrange equationIn distributional form this says . The fundamental theorem for weak derivatives, or the fundamental lemma applied after subtracting an antiderivative, gives a constant withThis is the integrated Euler-Lagrange equation. The boundary difference determinesThe weak identity extends to all zero-trace test functions by density.
New to topics? Read the docs here!