Forest UCM CoV

Calculus of Variations

Fermat's Principle

Fermats principle is thatlight takes a path between two points that requires the least amount of time.

If we let S represent the path of light between two points then

$S=vt$

light takes the time $t$ to travel between two points can be expressed as

$t = \int_A^B dt =\int_A^B \frac{1}{v} ds$

The index of refraction is denoted as

$n=\frac{c}{v}$

$t = \int_A^B \frac{n}{c} ds$

for light traversing an interface with an nindex of refraction $n_1$ on one side and $n_2$ on the other side we would hav e

$t = \int_A^I \frac{n_1}{c} ds+ \int_I^B \frac{n_2}{c} ds$

$= \frac{n_1}{c}\int_A^I ds+ \frac{n_2}{c} \int_I^B ds$

$= \frac{n_1}{c}\sqrt{h_1^2 + x^2}+ \frac{n_2}{c} \sqrt{h_2^2 + (\ell -x)^2}$

take derivative of time with respect to $x$ to find a minimum for the time of flight

$\frac{d t}{dx} = 0$

$\Rightarrow 0 = \frac{d}{dx} \left ( \frac{n_1}{c}\left ( h_1^2 + x^2 \right )^{\frac{1}{2}}+ \frac{n_2}{c} \left (h_2^2 + (\ell -x)^2 \right)^{\frac{1}{2}} \right )$

$= \frac{n_1}{c}\left( h_1^2 + x^2 \right )^{\frac{-1}{2}} (2x) + \frac{n_2}{c} \left (h_2^2 + (\ell -x)^2 \right)^{\frac{-1}{2}} 2(\ell -x)(-1)$

$= \frac{n_1}{c}\frac{2x}{\sqrt{ h_1^2 + x^2 }} + \frac{n_2}{c} \frac{(\ell -x)(-1)}{\sqrt{h_2^2 + (\ell -x)^2}}$

http://scipp.ucsc.edu/~haber/ph5B/fermat09.pdf

Euler-Lagrange Equation

https://www.fields.utoronto.ca/programs/scientific/12-13/Marsden/FieldsSS2-FinalSlidesJuly2012.pdf

Forest_Ugrad_ClassicalMechanics