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Could someone explain who came up with the specific equation first?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler-Lagrange

makes it sound like Lagrange got it first, in 1755, then sent it to Euler.

but:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calculus_of_variations

sort of makes it sound like Euler got it first in the 1730s.

It seems like a straightforward question, but I can't find an answer anywhere. Who came up with the equation, Euler or Lagrange? And what precisely did the other man contribute to get his name on there?

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    Jacobi would know.... :-)2012-07-31
  • 1
    Have you seen [this](http://arxiv.org/pdf/math/0402357.pdf)?2012-07-31
  • 3
    This has been asked also here http://mathoverflow.net/questions/103623/who-came-up-with-the-euler-lagrange-equation2012-07-31
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    some interesting papers I found : [Fraser1](http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cfraser/Lagrangeorigins.pdf), [Fraser2](http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cfraser/Lagrangeisoper.pdf), [Hanc](http://www.eftaylor.com/pub/HancEulerEJP.pdf)2012-07-31

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