Skip to main content
Search type Search syntax
Tags [tag]
Exact "words here"
Author user:1234
user:me (yours)
Score score:3 (3+)
score:0 (none)
Answers answers:3 (3+)
answers:0 (none)
isaccepted:yes
hasaccepted:no
inquestion:1234
Views views:250
Code code:"if (foo != bar)"
Sections title:apples
body:"apples oranges"
URL url:"*.example.com"
Saves in:saves
Status closed:yes
duplicate:no
migrated:no
wiki:no
Types is:question
is:answer
Exclude -[tag]
-apples
For more details on advanced search visit our help page
Results tagged with
Search options questions only not deleted user 7260

Variational calculus is a field of mathematical analysis that uses variations, which are small changes in functions and functionals, to find extrema of functionals: mappings from a set of functions to the real numbers. The archetype application in physics is Lagrangian mechanics, seeking extrema of action functionals.

16 votes
4 answers
2k views

Where can I find the full derivation of Helfrich's shape equation for closed membranes?

I have approximately 10 papers that claim that, from the equation for shape energy: $$ F = \frac{1}{2}k_c \int (c_1+c_2-c_0)^2 dA + \Delta p \int dV + \lambda \int dA$$ one can use "methods of variati …
Samuel Reid's user avatar