Some geometric aspects of variational calculus in constrained systems (Q1424099)

Starting with the remark that ``variational principles are important not only in physics, but also in many branches of engineering or economics''(from Introduction), the authors develop a unified geometrical description to the both usual approaches when dealing with constraints, namely nonholonomic and vakonomic. A main feature of both these frameworks is the existence of admissible infinitesimal variations and it is proved that these variations coincide when the constraints are integrable (or holonomic). As examples, a geometrization of optimal control theory and the case of linear constraints are detailed.