This paper demonstrates the need for a nonconstant initialization for the fractional calculus and establishes a basic definition set for the initialized fractional differintegral. This definition set allows the formalization of an initialized fractional calculus. Two basis calculi are considered; the Riemann-Liouville and the Grünwald fractional calculi. Two forms of initialization, terminal and side are developed.

In the last two decades, fractional (or non integer) differentiation has played a very important role in various fields such as mechanics, electricity, chemistry, biology, economics, control theory and signal and image processing. For example, in the last three fields, some important considerations such as modelling, curve fitting, filtering, pattern recognition, edge detection, identification, stability, controllability, observability and robustness are now linked to long-range dependence phenomena. Similar progress has been made in other fields listed here. The scope of the book is thus to present the state of the art in the study of fractional systems and the application of fractional differentiation. As this volume covers recent applications of fractional calculus, it will be of interest to engineers, scientists, and applied mathematicians.

In this book, not only are mathematical abstractions discussed in a lucid manner, but also several practical applications are given particularly for system identification, description and then efficient controls. The reader gets a feeling of the wide applicability of fractional calculus in the field of science and engineering. With this book, a starter can understand the concepts of this emerging field with a minimal effort and basic mathematics.

When a new extraordinary and outstanding theory is stated, it has to face criticism and skeptism, because it is beyond the usual concept. The fractional calculus though not new, was not discussed or developed for a long time, particularly for lack of its application to real life problems. It is extraordinary because it does not deal with ‘ordinary’ differential calculus. It is outstanding because it can now be applied to situations where existing theories fail to give satisfactory results. In this book not only mathematical abstractions are discussed in a lucid manner, with physical mathematical and geometrical explanations, but also several practical applications are given particularly for system identification, description and then efficient controls. The normal physical laws like, transport theory, electrodynamics, equation of motions, elasticity, viscosity, and several others of are based on ‘ordinary’ calculus. In this book these physical laws are generalized in fractional calculus contexts; taking, heterogeneity effect in transport background, the space having traps or islands, irregular distribution of charges, non-ideal spring with mass connected to a pointless-mass ball, material behaving with viscous as well as elastic properties, system relaxation with and without memory, physics of random delay in computer network; and several others; mapping the reality of nature closely. The concept of fractional and complex order differentiation and integration are elaborated mathematically, physically and geometrically with examples. The practical utility of local fractional differentiation for enhancing the character of singularity at phase transition or characterizing the irregularity measure of response function is deliberated. Practical results of viscoelastic experiments, fractional order controls experiments, design of fractional controller and practical circuit synthesis for fractional order elements are elaborated in this book. The book also maps theory of classical integer order differential equations to fractional calculus contexts, and deals in details with conflicting and demanding initialization issues, required in classical techniques. The book presents a modern approach to solve the ‘solvable’ system of fractional and other differential equations, linear, non-linear; without perturbation or transformations, but by applying physical principle of action-and-opposite-reaction, giving ‘approximately exact’ series solutions. Historically, Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wihelm Leibniz independently discovered calculus in the middle of the 17th century. In recognition to this remarkable discovery, J.von Neumann remarked, “...the calculus was the first achievement of modern mathematics and it is difficult to overestimate its importance. I think it defines more equivocally than anything else the inception of modern mathematical analysis which is logical development, still constitute the greatest technical advance in exact thinking.” This XXI century has thus started to ‘think-exactly’ for advancement in science & technology by growing application of fractional calculus, and this century has started speaking the language which nature understands the best.

This book presents a simplified deliberation of fractional calculus, which will appeal not only to beginners, but also to various applied science mathematicians and engineering researchers. The text develops the ideas behind this new field of mathematics, beginning at the most elementary level, before discussing its actual applications in different areas of science and engineering. This book shows that the simple, classical laws based on Newtonian calculus, which work quite well under limiting and idealized conditions, are not of much use in describing the dynamics of actual systems. As such, the application of non-Newtonian, or generalized, calculus in the governing equations, allows the order of differentiation and integration to take on non-integer values.

This invaluable book provides a broad introduction to the fascinating and beautiful subject of Fractional Calculus of Variations (FCV). In 1996, FVC evolved in order to better describe non-conservative systems in mechanics. The inclusion of non-conservatism is extremely important from the point of view of applications. Forces that do not store energy are always present in real systems. They remove energy from the systems and, as a consequence, Noether's conservation laws cease to be valid. However, it is still possible to obtain the validity of Noether's principle using FCV. The new theory provides a more realistic approach to physics, allowing us to consider non-conservative systems in a natural way. The authors prove the necessary Euler-Lagrange conditions and corresponding Noether theorems for several types of fractional variational problems, with and without constraints, using Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms. Sufficient optimality conditions are also obtained under convexity, and Leitmann's direct method is discussed within the framework of FCV.The book is self-contained and unified in presentation. It may be used as an advanced textbook by graduate students and ambitious undergraduates in mathematics and mechanics. It provides an opportunity for an introduction to FCV for experienced researchers. The explanations in the book are detailed, in order to capture the interest of the curious reader, and the book provides the necessary background material required to go further into the subject and explore the rich research literature./a

The first volume of this two-volume book, presents history, the mathematical modelling and the applications of fractional order systems, and contains mathematical and theoretical studies and research related to this domain. This volume is made up of 11 chapters. The first chapter presents an analysis of the Caputo derivative and the pseudo state representation with the infinite state approach. The second chapter studies the stability of a class of fractional Cauchy problems. The third chapter shows how to solve fractional order differential equations and fractional order partial differential equations using modern matrix algebraic approaches. Following this chapter, chapter four proposes another analytical method to solve differential equations with local fractional derivative operators. Concerning chapter five, it presents the extended Borel transform and its related fractional analysis. After presenting the analytical resolution methods for fractional calculus, chapter six shows the essentials of fractional calculus on discrete settings. The initialisation of such systems is shown in chapter seven. In fact, this chapter presents a generalised application of the Hankel operator for initialisation of fractional order systems. The last four chapters show some new studies and applications of non-integer calculus. In fact, chapter eight presents the fractional reaction-transport equations and evanescent continuous time random walks. Chapter nine shows a novel approach in the exponential integrators for fractional differential equations. Chapter ten presents the non-fragile tuning of fractional order PD controllers for integrating time delay systems. At the end, chapter eleven proposes a discrete finite-dimensional approximation of linear infinite dimensional systems. To sum up, this volume presents a mathematical and theoretical study of fractional calculus along with a stability study and some applications. This volume ends up with some new techniques and methods applied in fractional calculus. This volume will be followed up by a second volume that focuses on the applications of fractional calculus in several engineering domains.