{"paper":{"title":"Hamilton's principle: why is the integrated difference of kinetic and potential energy minimized?","license":"","headline":"","cross_cats":["physics.gen-ph"],"primary_cat":"physics.ed-ph","authors_text":"Alberto G. Rojo","submitted_at":"2005-04-02T19:31:01Z","abstract_excerpt":"I present an intuitive answer to an often asked question: why is the integrated difference K-U between the kinetic and potential energy the quantity to be minimized in Hamilton's principle?\n Using elementary arguments, I map the problem of finding the path of a moving particle connecting two points to that of finding the minimum potential energy of a static string. The mapping implies that the configuration of a non--stretchable string of variable tension corresponds to the spatial path dictated by the Principle of Least Action; that of a stretchable string in space-time is the one dictated by"},"claims":{"count":0,"items":[],"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"source":{"id":"physics/0504016","kind":"arxiv","version":1},"verdict":{"id":null,"model_set":{},"created_at":null,"strongest_claim":"","one_line_summary":"","pipeline_version":null,"weakest_assumption":"","pith_extraction_headline":""},"references":{"count":0,"sample":[],"resolved_work":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57","internal_anchors":0},"formal_canon":{"evidence_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"author_claims":{"count":0,"strong_count":0,"snapshot_sha256":"258153158e38e3291e3d48162225fcdb2d5a3ed65a07baac614ab91432fd4f57"},"builder_version":"pith-number-builder-2026-05-17-v1"}