Discrete Lagrange's equations and canonical equations based on the principle of least action (Q1120302)

Electronic digital computers have stimulated the development of discrete mechanics, in which the time is discrete. In the so-called semidiscrete mechanics only differentiation with respect to time is disallowed, while a second kind also dispenses with differentiation with respect to the phase variables. The semidiscrete theory retains a number of features of continuous mechanics but in it some invariants are not preserved, such as the total energy of the discrete system. In the alternative scheme invariants can be preserved but, for instance, the principle of least action is not always satisfied by its equations. The paper under review presents a consistent method of constructing a new discrete mechanics by starting from the principle of least action. None of the aforementioned differentiation processes are used, these being replaced by finite difference quotients, and summation taking the place of integration. The time interval is not required to be infinitesimal. This discrete mechanics retains many features inherent in continuous mechanics. In fact, if the time interval tends to zero, continuous mechanics is recovered, which in this sense thus can be considered as a special if limiting case of the discrete mechanics proposed. In the paper, discrete Lagrange's and canonical equations are derived on the basis of the principle of least action. The main result is that the discrete canonical equations conserve the Hamiltonian exactly. However, a price is paid in that the appropriate discrete Poisson brackets do not satisfy Jacobi's identity (precluding the possibility of constructing a suitable Lie algebra corresponding to that associated with the continuous version). The paper is closely related to and extends the theory presented earlier by the authors [J. Comput. Phys. 76, 85-102 (1988; Zbl 0656.70015)], in which paper the Hamiltonian conserving discrete canonical equations are discussed in detail. Sections 2 of the two papers in fact coincide, while Section 5 of the present paper, on discrete canonical equations, contains extensions and a slight refinement of the theory of the previous paper. A significant feature of the paper under review is that it contains three appendices in which the discrete Lagrange's equations and canonical equations are applied to the harmonic oscillator. A fourth appendix discusses the possibility of a discrete Liouville type theorem, and it is seen that such a theorem does not apply in the discrete case under review.