On the Variational Principle

The variational principle states that if a differentiable functional F attains its minimum at some point zi, then F’(C) = 0; it has proved a valuable tool for studying partial differential equations. This paper shows that if a differentiable function F has a finite lower bound (although it need not attain it), then, for every E > 0, there exists some point u( where 11 F’(uJj* < l , i.e., its derivative can be made arbitrarily small. Applications are given to Plateau’s problem, to partial differential equations, to nonlinear eigenvalues, to geodesics on infinite-dimensional manifolds, and to control theory.