Equilibria of static systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a conceptual framework for variational formulations in static physical systems, aiming to extend it to static field theories and dynamics in future work.

Contribution

It proposes a new framework for variational formulations of static systems, providing a foundation for future extensions to field theories and dynamics.

Findings

Framework successfully models static systems variationally

Potential for adaptation to static field theories and dynamics

Lays groundwork for unified variational approaches

Abstract

A conceptual framework for variational formulations of physical theories is proposed. Such a framework is displayed here just for statics, but it is designed to be subsequently adapted to variational formulations of static field theories and dynamics.