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17 - Principle of Least Action

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2022

Vijay P. Singh
Vijay P. Singh
Affiliation:
Texas A & M University
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Summary

Rivers tend to follow the path of least action for transporting the sediment and water loads imposed on them. Because regime hydraulic geometry relations entail more unknowns than the equations of continuity, resistance, and sediment transport, optimization is utilized to determine the preferred cross-section from among many possible cross-sections and this cross-section satisfies the path of least action. This chapter discusses this principle and derives the hydraulic geometry based on this principle.

Keywords

Sediment transportregime geometryregime channelleast actioncontinuity equationresistance equation
Type
Chapter
Information
Handbook of Hydraulic Geometry
Theories and Advances
 , pp. 436 - 449
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Principle of Least Action
  • Vijay P. Singh, Texas A & M University
  • Book: Handbook of Hydraulic Geometry
  • Online publication: 24 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009222136.018
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  • Principle of Least Action
  • Vijay P. Singh, Texas A & M University
  • Book: Handbook of Hydraulic Geometry
  • Online publication: 24 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009222136.018
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Principle of Least Action
  • Vijay P. Singh, Texas A & M University
  • Book: Handbook of Hydraulic Geometry
  • Online publication: 24 November 2022
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009222136.018
Available formats
×