An Elementary Proof of Stackel's Theorem Author(s): L. A. Pars Source: The American Mathematical Monthly, Vol. 56, No. 6 (Jun.

- Jul., 1949), pp. 394-396 Published by: Mathematical Association of America Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2306278 . Accessed: 30/04/2013 19:21
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394

MATHEMATICAL NOTES

[June,

6. Projective Geometric Representation. We present the finiteprojective geometry PG(2, 2) and its dual to geometrize the algebraic results.In the original geometrya line denotes a matrix property,a point denotes a semigroup,the incidenceof a point on a line denotes that a semigroupcontains a property, and the intersection of two lines denotes the conjunction of two properties.Here a necessary and sufficient condition that three propertiesform a semigroup is that they lie on a point. In the dual a necessary and sufficient condition that three propertiesforma semigroupis that they lie on a line. Projective GeometryPG(2, 2) Dual

S H

4I N
~~~2

4 5 6
3 RS
R ~~~H 2 IH

5 6

R N I

2 6 5 4

In conclusion it should be mentioned that the Involution, Commutation, and Existence Theorems forour operators permita novel proofof the proposition that of all standard subsets only the real, orthogonal,and unitary ones formgroups under matrixmultiplication.This proof,though direct,is too long to be given here.
AN ELEMENTARY PROOF OF STACKEL'S THEOREM L. A. PARS, Institute forAdvanced Stuldy

The systemassociated in the classical dynamics with the name of Stackel is a holonomic system with n degrees of freedom,for which the kinetic energy functionT and the potential energyfunctionV have the particularforms T
=-E-qr,
2

1
r Vir

VirWr, r

wherethe summationsrun from1 to n, and the functions whichoccur vlrand Wr in the formulaehave the following properties: i. There exists a matrix (Ur,) in which the elements Urs of the rth row are functionsonly of the rth Lagrangian coordinate qr; the motion takes place in a domain D of the q-space in which the determinant U of (ur.) does not vanish; (Vra) is the matrixinverseto (u,8). (In particularthe elementsVlr which occur in

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1949]

MATHEMATICAL

NOTES

395

columnof the matrix the formulaforT are the minorsof the elementsin the first (ur8) divided by U.) only of qr. ii. The coefficient wr is a function iii. The element ur8 has a continuous derivative with respect to qr, and the coefficient wrhas a continuousderivativewithrespectto qr, in D. (It followsthat derivativeswith respect to all the q's.) the elementsvr8have continuousfirst Stackel's theoremasserts that there are n firstintegralsof the equations of motion,namely
2

k V-r(-

2 +

Wr)

ak,

k= 1,2,

n,

wherethe ak are constants. (The special case k = 1 is of course the familiarintegral ofenergy.) The natural contextforthe theoremis the generaldynamicaltheoryof Hamilton and Jacobi, and the proofusually given (for example in Stackel's papers [1] and the standard text-books[2]) presents the result as a corollaryof the howeverto derive the resultdirectly Hamilton-Jacobitheorem.It is not difficult fromthe Lagrangian equations of motion. Lemma: For all values ofs, k, and r we have the following We prove first
tVkr

V ls'

aq8

ovi,
Vk8

aq8g

0.

The proofof this Lemma is simple. We have, forall values of k and m, E

VkrUrm= bkm,
r

that urmis a funcwith respect to q8,and remembering whence,differentiating tion of qronly,we obtain
r E aVkr

aq.

Urm +

dUim
Vk8

dq8

.=

we If we write the same equation with 1 in place of k, and eliminate du,m/dq8, find
E

UrmV18_

9Vkr
d_

OVlr\

0.

If we denote the expression in the parentheses by Or(k and s being fixed)we have n equations
E

UrmOr =

Oi

is U, and does not one foreach value of m. The determinantof the coefficients

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396

MATHEMATICAL NOTES

[June,

vanish,so each Or= 0. This proves the Lemma. To deduce Stackel's theoremwe have

(1

qr+

Substitutingford/dt(4r/Vir) fromLagrange's equations of motion,we obtain

/ 1 .2
hVl

\
/8 rE

t3V/r .a+V/

0 dq8

r; Vir 828

eal

v2qd

--r( 1
,,, r,

ii
.2.8 Vlr
qr 8 Vir

V18w6)}
t3c
d0qe
0V18

Z
V/cr-7
r,e

t3VIr . e
7,8

1
2

qr q8 0V18
Vir vl8 Oqr r,8 v Vie

24 Vlr q - ~V/cr
r,s

-W8 Oqr

qr 2o98

q VVr WVkr-Vkr Vir r

dd v1

w
dqr

++ 7,8 E

Vkr /V-qr qr

dwr dqr

the dummysuffixes r and s in The last two sums disappear, and, interchanging the thirdand fourthsums, we obtain W 1 ,,, 2
r's 2 i

V2

.2.

V Wr

aqR

1
r,

1 qrqe V/c 3Vir 2r Vkwrq2

aq8

I8\2 V

Vr +W

VlrI\t18

)-8

Vaqrq

q3Ir

.V/s

Vir .

o9r/

( 1

\./ 3V/ V(_

Vr\

whichvanishes in virtueof the Lemma. The theoremfollows. so fromthe point of The resulthas been knownformorethan halfa century, From the point view of dynamical theorythe presentexpositionis unimportant. t of view oft eaching of dynamics, however,it may be important;by means of it t ththeorem can be introducedand used in an elementarycoursewhich contains Lagrange's equations but does not embrace the more recondite theoryof Hamilton and Jacobi.
References 1 Stuckel.Math. Ann.,vol. 42, 1893,p. 537; ComptesRendus,Paris,vol. 116, 1893,p. 485 and p. 1284,vol. 121,1895,p. 489. 2. See forexample Appel,Mdcanique Rationelle (1923),vol. II, p. 433; Levi-Civita e Amaldi, Meccanica Razionale(1927),vol. II, part2, p. 420.

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