Department
Home Page
About Us:
• Contact Info.
• Faculty
• Staff
• Teaching Assistants
Academic Program:
• Admission
• Undergraduate
• Graduate
• Certificates
Courses:
• Course Description
• Class Web Pages
• Class Syllabi
Research:
• Colloquium
• Interdisciplinary Seminar
• Seminars
• Steve Goldman Lectures in Mathematical Physics
Links:
| • Completing Online GEP Courses |
| • Best Jobs |
| • Newsletter |
| • Math Lab |
| •Math Placement Test |
| • Careers |
| • American Mathematical Society |
| • Mathematical Association of America |
04/12/05 Colloquium
Dr. Florin Catrina
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Variational Methods for Nonlinear
Elliptic Partial Differential Equations
Abstract:
In this talk we discuss the connection between solutions for certain differential equations and critical points of the associated energy functionals. Changes in the topology of the level sets of the energy suggest the existence of critical points, but one has to face certain difficulties in "catching" these critical points. We show on a model problem how discrete symmetry helps in some instances to claim the existence of numerous solutions, while in the "critical" cases such solutions do not exist.
