Abstract:This is a review of the ideas underlying the application of symplectic geometry to Hamiltonian systems. The paper begins with symplectic manifolds and their Lagrangian submanifolds, covers contact man...This is a review of the ideas underlying the application of symplectic geometry to Hamiltonian systems. The paper begins with symplectic manifolds and their Lagrangian submanifolds, covers contact manifolds and their Legendrian submanifolds, and indicates the first steps of symplectic and contact topology.Read More