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The elastic energy $U=A\int (W^{\prime \prime }{)}^{2}dx/2$ minimized without forcing gives $W^{\prime \prime \prime \prime }=0$. With fixed $\int W^{2}dx$, stationarity of $U-A{k}^4\int W^{2}dx/2$ gives $W^{\prime \prime \prime \prime }=k^{4}W$: a bending eigenmode. A general admissible shape expands in these normal modes. The natural boundary conditions for a free endpoint are $W^{\prime \prime }(L)=W^{\prime \prime \prime }(L)=0$, while the clamp imposes $W(0)=W^{\prime }(0)=0$.

An isoperimetric constraint fixes the value of an integral while optimizing another integral over functions. A constant Lagrange multiplier incorporates the constraint into the variational integrand, and the resulting Euler-Lagrange equation must be supplemented by the appropriate natural boundary conditions for a free endpoint. The name includes integral constraints more general than prescribed geometric length.

For one small transverse displacement, the elastic energy of the elastic filament iswhere $A$ is the filament bending modulus. Its first variation isThe clamped boundary conditions remove the left boundary terms. A force-free and torque-free tip permits independent $\delta h(L)$ and $\delta h^{\prime }(L)$, so the natural boundary conditions for a free endpoint are $h^{\prime \prime }(L)=h^{\prime \prime \prime }(L)=0$: zero bending moment and transverse shear.

There is an important distinction between an energy minimum and a normal mode. The unloaded higher-order Euler-Lagrange equation is $h^{\prime \prime \prime \prime }=0$, whose only solution with these four boundary conditions is $h=0$. A general fluctuating shape is a sum of modes, not one of the stated sinusoidal/hyperbolic functions. To obtain the clamped--free bending modes, extremize the bending Rayleigh quotient, or equivalently $U[W]-\frac{1}{2}A{k}^4\int W^{2}dx$ with a fixed norm. Its Euler-Lagrange equation isThis is the constrained variational characterization of bending modes. Its four characteristic roots are $\pm k,\pm ik$. Clamping gives $F=-D$ and $E=-B$, henceThe free-tip conditions reduce toIts determinant is $-2(1+\cos q\cosh q)$, so nontrivial modes requireNo zero mode exists, since a cubic satisfying the homogeneous clamp/free conditions is zero. The clamped-free bending spectrum starts with $q_1\in (\pi /2,2)$; bisection or Newton iteration gives $q_1\simeq 1.875104$, so $k_1\simeq 1.875104/L$. Choosing $D=N(\sin q_n+\sinh q_n)$ and $B=-N(\cos q_n+\cosh q_n)$ givesThe second boundary condition follows from the root equation, and $N$ is arbitrary until a normalization is chosen.

The bending operator with these boundary conditions is positive and self-adjoint. Twice integrating by parts givesSymmetry implies orthogonality when $n\ne m$. Expand $h(x)={\sum }_n{a}_n{W}_n(x)$ and use $I_n=L^{-1}{\int }_0^L{W}_n^{2}dx$. Thenby the equipartition theorem. The supplied endpoint identity therefore yields the thermal bending fluctuations of a clamped filament:To evaluate the sum, apply a tip force $f$ and minimize $U-fh(L)$. The modified free-end conditions are $h^{\prime \prime }(L)=0$ and $-A{h}^{\prime \prime \prime }(L)=f$, and $h^{\prime \prime \prime \prime }=0$ in the interior. Integration gives $h(x)=f{x}^2(3L-x)/(6A)$, so the tip-force compliance of a cantilever is $L^3/(3A)$. On the other hand, minimizing the modal energy minus $f{\sum }_n{a}_n{W}_n(L)$ gives $a_n=f{W}_n(L)/(AL{k}_n^4{I}_n)$ and henceComparison evaluates the fourth inverse-power sum of the cantilever spectrum without truncating the modes:The boxed variance is for the specified single transverse direction. An independent equilibrium check follows by differentiating the Gaussian partition function with respect to $f$: $\partial ⟨h(L)⟩/\partial f=⟨h(L{)}^2⟩/(k_{B}T)$ at zero load, reproducing the same result from the static compliance. Keeping only the first normal mode gives about $0.32356k_{B}T{L}^3/A$, roughly $97.1\%$ of the exact variance. With two independent equivalent transverse directions, their summed variance is twice the boxed result. The small-slope model requires $k_{B}TL/A\ll 1$, or $L$ small compared with the usual three-dimensional persistence length $A/(k_{B}T)$.

Take $T>0$ and a positive prescribed distance $L$; if $L=0$, the zero-speed journey has zero cost. Minimize $E[V]={\int }_0^T(a{V}^2+b{\dot{V}}^2)dt$ subject to $V(0)=0$ and the isoperimetric constraint ${\int }_0^{T}Vdt=L$. Introduce a constant Lagrange multiplier $\lambda$ and the integrand $a{V}^2+b{\dot{V}}^2-\lambda V$. For a variation $\eta$ with $\eta (0)=0$, integration by parts givesThe interior Euler-Lagrange equation isWhen terminal speed is free, the same calculation also imposes the natural boundary conditions for a free endpoint:One cannot drop this boundary term when interpreting an extremal as a genuine minimum. If $b=0<a$, the interior condition makes $V$ constant; with a continuous zero initial speed and $L>0$ it cannot be attained. In that case Cauchy-Schwarz inequality gives the infimum $a{L}^2/T$, approached by speeds nearly constant except in a short initial layer. For $b>0$, the derivative cost controls such layers and the natural terminal condition matters in parts (b) and (c).

For a variation $y+\epsilon \eta$,Integration by parts givesFor fixed endpoints, $\eta (0)=\eta (x_0)=0$. The fundamental lemma of the calculus of variations therefore gives the Euler-Lagrange equationA solution makes the first variation vanish for every admissible variation, so it is a stationary candidate; whether it is a minimum or maximum is decided by higher variations. If endpoint values are free, $\eta$ is arbitrary there, and the boundary term instead vanishes under the natural conditionsThus the same Euler-Lagrange solution is stationary for all free-endpoint variations. These are the natural boundary conditions for a free endpoint.

Forthe two equations areSet $u=y+z$ and $v=y-z$. ThenThe conditions $y(0)=z(0)=0$ giveand hence the most general solution is

Free conditions at $x_0$ are $y^{\prime }(x_0)=z^{\prime }(x_0)=0$. Adding and subtracting them givesThus $A=0$. The zero solution exists for every $x_0$, while nonzero solutions exist precisely whenFor those values they form the one-parameter familywhere $C$ is arbitrary. This is the free-endpoint normal mode of a coupled variational functional.