Variational approach to solitons of nonlinear dispersive K(m, n) equations

Via He's semi-inverse method, a variational principle is established for the nonlinear dispersive K(m, n) equations. Based on this formulation, a solitary solution can be easily obtained using Ritz method. The present paper provides a new approach to the search for wave solutions including solitions, compactons and periodic solutions. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.