An introduction to variational inequalities and their applications, Volume 88 (Pure and Applied Mathematics)

This unabridged republication of the 1980 text, an established classic in the field, is a resource for many important topics in elliptic equations and systems and is the first modern treatment of free boundary problems. Variational inequalities (equilibrium or evolution problems typically with convex constraints) are carefully explained in An Introduction to Variational Inequalities and Their Applications. They are shown to be extremely useful across a wide variety of subjects, ranging from linear programming to free boundary problems in partial differential equations. Exciting new areas like finance and phase transformations along with more historical ones like contact problems have begun to rely on variational inequalities, making this book a necessity once again.