The dynamics of the quantum state and the fundamental fields are determined by the Lagrangian density formula_2 (usually for short just called the Lagrangian). This plays a role similar to that of the Schrödinger equation in non-relativistic quantum mechanics, but a Lagrangian is not an equation of motion – rather, it is a polynomial function of the fields and their derivatives, and used with the principle of least action. While it would be possible to derive a system of differential equations governing the fields from the Lagrangian, it is more common to use other techniques to compute with quantum field theories.