Classical Mechanics - Homework Assignment 8

Alejandro Gomez Espinosa

November 20, 2012

Goldstein, Ch.8, 14 The Lagrangian for a system can be written as
L = a x
2
+ b
y
x
+ c x y + fy
2
x z + g y
2
k
_
x
2
+ y
2
where a, b, c, f, g and k are constants. What is the Hamiltonian?. What quantities are conserved?.
Lets use the Hamiltonian formulation:
H = q
i
p
i
L, p
i
=
L
q
i
(1)
Then,
p
x
=
L
x
= 2a x + c y + fy
2
z (2)
p
y
=
L
y
=
b
x
+ c x + 2g y (3)
p
z
=
L
z
= fy
2
x (4)
The Hamiltonian is given by:
H = xp
x
+ yp
y
+ zp
z
a x
2
b
y
x
c x y fy
2
x z g y + k
_
x
2
+ y
2
= 2a x
2
+ c x y + fy
2
x z +
b
x
y + c x y + 2g y
2
+ fy
2
x z a x
2
b
y
x
c x y fy
2
x z g y
2
+ k
_
x
2
+ y
2
= a x
2
+ c x y + fy
2
x z + g y
2
+ k
_
x
2
+ y
2
= 2a x
2
+ c x y + fy
2
x z a x
2
+
1
2
_
p
y

b
x

cp
z
fy
2
_
+ k
_
x
2
+ y
2
using (3)
= xp
x
a x
2
+
1
2
_
p
y

b
x

cp
z
fy
2
_
+ k
_
x
2
+ y
2
using (2)
=
p
x
p
z
fy
2

ap
2
z
f
2
y
4
+
1
2
_
p
y

b
x

cp
z
fy
2
_
+ k
_
x
2
+ y
2
using (4)
Finally, p
z
is conserved due to
L
z
= 0 and the energy due to the Hamiltonian doesnt depend on
time.

gomez@physics.rutgers.edu
1
Goldstein, Ch.8, 15 A dynamical system has the Lagrangian
L = q
2
1
+
q
2
2
a + bq
2
1
+ k
1
q
2
1
+ k
2
q
1
q
2
where a, b, k
1
and k
2
are constants. Find the equations of motion in the Hamiltonian formulation.
For simplicity, lets use the previous Lagrangian in the matrix notation:
L =
_
q
1
q
2
_
T
A
_
q
1
q
2
_
+ k
1
q
2
1
, A =
_
1
k
2
2
k
2
2
1
a+bq
2
1
_
Then, the momentum can be written as:
p =
_
p
1
p
2
_
=
L
q
i
= 2A
_
q
1
q
2
_
= 2A q q =
1
2
A
1
p (5)
The Hamiltonian has the form:
H = p q L
= p q q
T
A q k
1
q
2
1
=
1
2
pA
1
p
1
4
pA
1
p + k
1
q
2
1
using (5)
=
1
4
pA
1
p + k
1
q
2
1
where:
A
1
=
1
1
a+bq
2
1

k
2
1
4
_
1
a+bq
2
1

k
2
2

k
2
2
1
_
Finally the equations of motion in the Hamiltonian formulation are:
p =
H
q
i
=
_
_
1
1
a+bq
2
1

k
2
1
4
_
2bq
1
p
2
1
(a+bq
2
1
)
2
_
2k
1
q
1
0
_
_
q =
H
p
i
=
1
2
A
1
p
2
Goldstein, Ch.8, 26 A particle of mass m can move in one dimension under the inuence of two springs
connected to xed points a distance a apart (see Figure 1). The springs obey Hookes law and have
zero unstretched lenghts and force constants k
1
and k
2
, respectively.
Figure 1: Sketch of problem 26. A particle of mas m moving under the inuence of two springs.
(a) Using the position of the partice from one xed point as the generalized coordinate, nd the
Lagrangian and the corresponding Hamiltonian. Is the energy conserved? Is the Hamiltonian
conserved?
For this system, the kinetic and potential energy are:
T =
m x
2
2
, V =
k
1
x
2
2
+
k
2
(a x)
2
2
and the Lagrangian is given by:
L =
m x
2
2

k
1
x
2
2

k
2
(a x)
2
2
(6)
Then, to nd the Hamiltonian:
p
x
=
L
x
= m x x =
p
x
m
and the Hamiltonian can be written as:
H = xp
x
L
=
p
2
x
m

p
2
x
2m
+
k
1
x
2
2
+
k
2
(a x)
2
2
=
p
2
x
2m
+
k
1
x
2
2
+
k
2
(a x)
2
2
As the Hamiltonian doesnt depend explicitly on time, it is conserved. It is the same for the
energy.
(b) Introduce a new coordinate Q dened by:
Q = q b sin wt, b =
k
2
a
k
1
+ k
2
What is the Lagrangian in terms of Q? What is the corresponding Hamiltonian? Is the energy
conserved? Is the Hamiltonian conserved?
Considering the new coordinate:
q = Q + b sin wt q =

Q + bwcos wt
3
In the Lagrangian of equation (6), lets replace x = q. Then:
L =
m
2
_

Q + bwcos wt
_
2

k
1
2
(Q + b sin wt)
2
k
2
2
(a Q b sin wt)
2
And the momentum:
P =
L

Q
= m
_

Q + bwcos wt
_


Q =
P
m
bwcos wt
Finally, the Hamiltonian is given by:
H =

QP L
=
P
2
m
bwP cos wt
m
2
_
P
m
bwcos wt + bwcos wt
_
2

k
1
2
(Q + b sin wt)
2
k
2
2
(a Q b sin wt)
2
=
P
2
2m
bwP cos wt
k
1
2
(Q + b sin wt)
2
k
2
2
(a Q b sin wt)
2
In this case, the Hamiltonian does not depend explicitly on time and the potential does not
depend on the velocity, then it is not conserved. In the case of the energy, as we do have any
discipative force in this case, the energy must be conserved.
Goldstein, Ch.8, 33 Two mass points, m
1
and m
2
, are connected by a string that acts as Hookes-law
spring with force constant k. One particle is free to move without friction on a smooth horizontal
plane surface, the other hangs vertically down from the string through a hole in the surface. Find
the condition for steady motion in which the mass point on the plane rotates uniformly at constant
distance from the hole. Investigate the small oscillations in the radial distance from the hole, and
in the vertical height of the second particle.
Lets dene the coordinates of the particle m
1
in the plane as r, and the coordinate for m
2
hanging
from the plane as z. Then, the kinetic and potential energy are:
T =
m
1
r
2
2
+
m
1
r
2

2
2
+
m
2
z
2
2
, V =
k(r + z)
2
2
m
2
gz
Using this expression, the Lagrangian is written as:
L =
m
1
r
2
2
+
m
1
r
2

2
2
+
m
2
z
2
2

k(r + z)
2
2
+ m
2
gz
Calculate the momentum of each coordinate:
p
r
=
L
r
= m
1
r r =
p
r
m
1
p

=
L

= m
1
r
2



=
p

m
1
r
2
p
z
=
L
z
= m
2
z z =
p
z
m
2
4
The Hamiltonian is then given by:
H = rp
r
+

p

+ zp
z
L
=
p
2
r
m
1
+
p
2

m
1
r
2
+
p
2
z
m
2

p
2
r
2m
1

p
2

2m
1
r
2

p
2
z
2m
2
+
k(r + z)
2
2
m
2
gz
=
p
2
r
2m
1
+
p
2

2m
1
r
2
+
p
2
z
2m
2
+
kr
2
2
+ krz +
kz
2
2
m
2
gz
Now, lets use the Rouths procedure. Find the expression of R using the previous Lagrangian and
Hamiltonian:
R = H
cycl
(p
i
) L
noncycl
(q
i
, q
i
)
=
p
2

2m
1
r
2

m
1
r
2
2

m
2
z
2
2
+
kr
2
2
+ krz +
kz
2
2
+ m
2
gz
Using this procedure, we have to solve rst for the non-cyclic coordinates:
d
dt
_
R
q
i
_

R
q
i
= 0
Therefore:
d
dt
_
R
r
_
=
d
dt
(m
1
r) = m
1
r
R
r
= kr + kz
m
2
r + kr + kz = 0
d
dt
_
R
z
_
=
d
dt
(m
1
z) = m
1
z
R
z
= kz + kr + m
2
g
m
2
z + kz + kr + m
2
g = 0
Now, for the cyclic coordinates:
R
p
i
= q
i
,
R
q
i
= p
i
Thus,
R
p

=
p

m
1
r
2
=

= 0 = p

= m
1
r
2

= l = constant
Then, the condition for steady motion is

=
l
m
1
r
2
.
For the small oscillations, the kinetic energy is:
T =
m
1
r
2
2
+
m
2
z
2
2
=
_
m
1
0
0 m
2
_
5
and the potential energy:
V =
kr
2
2
+ krz +
kz
2
2
+ m
2
gz +
l
2
m
1
r
2
=
_
k +
6l
2
m
1
r
4
k
2
k
2
k
_
including the conditions for equilibrium:
L
r

r=r
0
= kr
0
+ kz
0

2l
2
m
1
r
3
0
= 0
L
z

z=z
0
= kz
0
+ kr
0
m
2
g = 0
2l
2
m
1
r
4
0
= m
2
g
Finally, to nd the frequency of small oscillations we compute the determinant:
det |V w
2
T| =

k +
6l
2
m
1
r
4
0
w
2
m
1
k
2
k
2
k w
2
m
2

= 0
_
k
3l
2
m
1
r
4
w
2
m
1
_
_
k w
2
m
2
_

k
2
4
= 0
Solving this equation we found the frequencies for small oscillations.
6