Hamiltonian (control Theory) - The Hamiltonian of Control Compared To The Hamiltonian of Mechanics

The Hamiltonian of Control Compared To The Hamiltonian of Mechanics

William Rowan Hamilton defined the Hamiltonian as a function of three variables:

where is defined implicitly by

Hamilton then formulated his equations as

In contrast the Hamiltonian of control theory (as defined by Pontryagin) is a function of 4 variables

and the associated conditions for a maximum are

This difference is somewhat confusing, nevertheless a specific problem, such as the Brachystochrone problem, can be solved by either method. For details, see the article by Sussmann and Willems.

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