Abstract
Extremes are fascinating. Who is the smallest, tallest, fastest, strongest? Everyday metaphors (the path of least resistance, to carry something to extremes etc.) show how deeply ingrained the idea of the extreme is in us. Moreover, the scientific view of the world reveals extremes everywhere: the soap bubble tries to minimise its surface area and is therefore spherical, chemical reactions strive towards a state of minimal energy, and so on. Looking for extremes is also a problem-solving strategy.
Since the Form of the whole Universe is most perfect, designed by a most wise Creator, nothing at all takes place that does not manifest, in some respect, a Rule of Maximum or Minimum.
(Leonhard Euler)
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Grieser, D. (2018). The extremal principle. In: Exploring Mathematics. Springer Undergraduate Mathematics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90321-7_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90321-7_10
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