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principle of least action

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principle of least action

[′prin·sə·pəl əv ‚lēst ′ak·shən]
(mechanics)
The principle that, for a system whose total mechanical energy is conserved, the trajectory of the system in configuration space is that path which makes the value of the action stationary relative to nearby paths between the same configurations and for which the energy has the same constant value. Also known as least-action principle.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in periodicals archive
According to our previous papers, the Principle of Least Action explains the mechanism of increase of organization through quantity accumulation and constraint and curvature minimization with an attractor, the least average sum of actions of all elements and for all motions.
Thus, the observation by Moore is explained here as a part of this system of interfunctions driven by the Principle of Least Action. The visible oscillations of the data around the exponential and power-law fits (see Figures 2 and 3), which are their homeostatic values, can help explain the multiple logistic nature of technology substitution S-curves, by the negative feedback between the homeostatic values of the interfunctions, and the actual deviations of the data from them.
Chatterjee, "Principle of least action and convergence of systems towards state of closure," International Journal of Physical Research, vol.
Exponential Self-Organization and Moore's Law: Measures and Mechanisms
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