ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors present an approach which is closely related to the one previously expounded for weak shocks. Essentially this approach is a small time analysis of the solution near the initial wavefront. As such it is of limited practical interest although in some cases it leads to results which coincide with those obtained by applying Whitham's theory. The concept of corrugation stability could lead to sufficient stability criteria if the relationship between the shock velocity and the wavefront rate of deformation were known (which is not the case in general). In order to obtain such a relationship Whitham resorted to geometrical shock dynamics which is only an approximate heuristic theory.
