Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2022 / ib / Paper 2 / 13D / a / Solution

For fixed endpoint values, the first variation of the functionalvanishes exactly when the Euler-Lagrange equationholds. If $f$ has no explicit $x$ dependence, differentiation along an extremal gives the Beltrami identityFor a further constraint $J[z]=J_0$, introduce a constant Lagrange multiplier $\lambda$ and apply the Euler-Lagrange equation to $I+\lambda J$; $\lambda$ is then chosen so that the constraint holds.