On the relation between the maximum entropy principle and the principle of least effort: The continuous case

The Maximum Entropy Principle (MEP) maximizes the entropy subject to the constraint that the effort remains constant. The Principle of Least Effort (PLE) minimizes the effort subject to the constraint that the entropy remains constant. The paper investigates the relation between these two principles. It is shown that (MEP) is equivalent with the principle "(PLE) or (PME) " where (PME) is (in this paper introduced) Principle of Most effort, meaning that the effort is maximized subject to the constraint that the entropy remains constant. Key words and phrases: maximum entropy principle, principle of least effort, principle of most effort, equivalence. Acknowledgement The firtst-named author is grateful to prof. Dr. R. Rousseau for stimulating discussions on the topics of this paper. ' Permanent addres