Abstract.Any system of second-order differential equations which has coefficients that do not depend explicitly on the time can be represented by a vector field on a tangent bundle. An approach to the problem of deciding whether the conditions for the equations to be derivable from a given Lagrangian by means of differential geometric ideas are formulated.

Received: December 4, 2001

AMS Subject Classification: 34A26, 53B50

Key Words and Phrases: vector field, tangent bundle, variational, differential equations

Source: International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics
ISSN: 1311-8080
Year: 2002
Volume: 1
Issue: 2