This book describes the mathematical theory inspired by the irreversible nature of time-evolving events. The first part of the book deals with the ability to steer a system from any point of departure to any desired destination. The second part deals with optimal control--the problem of finding the best possible course. The author demonstrates an overlap with mathematical physics using the maximum principle, a fundamental concept of optimality arising from geometric control, which is applied to time-evolving systems governed by physics as well as to man-made systems governed by controls. He...

This book describes the mathematical theory inspired by the irreversible nature of time-evolving events. The first part of the book deals with the ability to steer a system from any point of departure to any desired destination. The second part deals with optimal control--the problem of finding the best possible course. The author demonstrates an overlap with mathematical physics using the maximum principle, a fundamental concept of optimality arising from geometric control, which is applied to time-evolving systems governed by physics as well as to man-made systems governed by controls. He...