The Second Euler-Lagrange Equation of Variational Calculus on Time Scales

The fundamental problem of the calculus of variations on time scales concerns the minimization of a delta-integral over all trajectories satisfying given boundary conditions. In this paper we prove the second Euler-Lagrange necessary optimality condition for optimal trajectories of variational problems on time scales. As an example of application of the main result, we give an alternative and simpler proof to the Noether theorem on time scales recently obtained in [J. Math. Anal. Appl. 342 (2008), no. 2, 1220-1226].Comment: This work was partially presented at the Workshop in Control, Nonsmooth Analysis and Optimization, celebrating Francis Clarke's and Richard Vinter's 60th birthday, Porto, May 4-8, 2009. Submitted 26-May-2009; Revised 12-Jan-2010; Accepted 29-March-2010 in revised form; for publication in the European Journal of Contro

Direct and Inverse Variational Problems on Time Scales: A Survey

We deal with direct and inverse problems of the calculus of variations on arbitrary time scales. Firstly, using the Euler-Lagrange equation and the strengthened Legendre condition, we give a general form for a variational functional to attain a local minimum at a given point of the vector space. Furthermore, we provide a necessary condition for a dynamic integro-differential equation to be an Euler-Lagrange equation (Helmholtz's problem of the calculus of variations on time scales). New and interesting results for the discrete and quantum settings are obtained as particular cases. Finally, we consider very general problems of the calculus of variations given by the composition of a certain scalar function with delta and nabla integrals of a vector valued field.Comment: This is a preprint of a paper whose final and definite form will be published in the Springer Volume 'Modeling, Dynamics, Optimization and Bioeconomics II', Edited by A. A. Pinto and D. Zilberman (Eds.), Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics. Submitted 03/Sept/2014; Accepted, after a revision, 19/Jan/201

Discrete-Time Fractional Variational Problems

We introduce a discrete-time fractional calculus of variations on the time scale $h\mathbb{Z}$, $h > 0$. First and second order necessary optimality conditions are established. Examples illustrating the use of the new Euler-Lagrange and Legendre type conditions are given. They show that solutions to the considered fractional problems become the classical discrete-time solutions when the fractional order of the discrete-derivatives are integer values, and that they converge to the fractional continuous-time solutions when $h$ tends to zero. Our Legendre type condition is useful to eliminate false candidates identified via the Euler-Lagrange fractional equation.Comment: Submitted 24/Nov/2009; Revised 16/Mar/2010; Accepted 3/May/2010; for publication in Signal Processing

The Variational Calculus on Time Scales

The discrete, the quantum, and the continuous calculus of variations, have been recently unified and extended by using the theory of time scales. Such unification and extension is, however, not unique, and two approaches are followed in the literature: one dealing with minimization of delta integrals; the other dealing with minimization of nabla integrals. Here we review a more general approach to the calculus of variations on time scales that allows to obtain both delta and nabla results as particular cases.Comment: 15 pages; Published in: Int. J. Simul. Multidisci. Des. Optim. 4 (2010), 11--2

Noether's symmetry theorem for nabla problems of the calculus of variations

We prove a Noether-type symmetry theorem and a DuBois-Reymond necessary optimality condition for nabla problems of the calculus of variations on time scales.Comment: Submitted 20/Oct/2009; Revised 27/Jan/2010; Accepted 28/July/2010; for publication in Applied Mathematics Letter

Variational Optimal-Control Problems with Delayed Arguments on Time Scales

This article deals with variational optimal-control problems on time scales in the presence of delay in the state variables. The problem is considered on a time scale unifying the discrete, the continuous and the quantum cases. Two examples in the discrete and quantum cases are analyzed to illustrate our results.Comment: To apear in Advances in Difference Equation

Fractional variational calculus for nondifferentiable functions

We prove necessary optimality conditions, in the class of continuous functions, for variational problems defined with Jumarie's modified Riemann-Liouville derivative. The fractional basic problem of the calculus of variations with free boundary conditions is considered, as well as problems with isoperimetric and holonomic constraints.Comment: Submitted 13-Aug-2010; revised 24-Nov-2010; accepted 28-March-2011; for publication in Computers and Mathematics with Application