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PHY401/PHY401A/SE314/PSO314A: Classical Mechanics


(2014: Summer Course)
Instructor: Sagar Chakraborty, Department of Physics, I.I.T. Kanpur
Home Assignment # 2 Total Marks: N.A.
1. Consider one dimensional motion of a particle of mass M in a time dependent potential U(x, t).
(a) Write down Hamiltons action S for the particle.
(b) Invoke Hamiltons principle of least action (i.e., S = 0) and nd out the equation of motion.
(c) Calculate
2
S and nd the condition on U required to make the action least for worldlines of arbitrary
lengths.
2. What is the number of degrees of freedom (#DOF) for
(a) a free particle,
(b) N free particles,
(c) N particles with K constraints,
(d) the xed fulcrum of a simple pendulum,
(e) the bob of a conical pendulum,
(f) two heavy point particles joined by a massless rod (a dumbbell, if you prefer),
(g) three point masses connected by three massless rods,
(h) a rigid body a system a large number of particles not all lying in one line and with all its particles held
at xed distance from each other,
(i) a rigid body xed at one point, and,
(j) a rigid body rotating about a xed axis in space?
3. A simple pendulum of mass m and length l oscillates in x z plane. Write down the equations of constraints,
#DOF and the Euler-Lagrange equations when the pendulums point of support
(a) oscillates horizontally in the plane of motion such that x = Acos t.
(b) oscillates vertically according to z = Bsin t.
(c) rotates in a vertical circle of radius R with constant angular frequency .
(d) carries a mass m

free to move in x-direction.


(e) is suspended from mass m

of another simple pendulum of length l

which, in turn, is suspended from a


rigid ceiling, and both the pendula are constrained to move in the same plane.
4. Consider a cycloid whose equation is
x = a cos
1

a z
a

2az z
2
.
Suppose a particle of mass m moves from rest along the cycloid under the inuence of constant gravitational
acceleration gz.
2
(a) Sketch the cycloid.
(b) Write down the equations of the (holonomic) constraints and the number of degrees of freedom of this
system.
(c) It may be convenient for you to choose the arc-length (s, say) along the cycloid as the generalised coordinate.
Find s in terms of x and z.
(d) Derive the Euler-Lagrange equations and solve it.
(e) Prove that irrespective of its initial position on the cycloid, the particle will reach the bottom at the same
time.
5. Write down the Euler-Lagrange equation for a plane spring pendulum: a mass m suspended from a spring
(spring constant k and unstretched length l) restricted to move in a vertical plane.
6. Consider a vertically oriented string of shape z = a|x
n
|, n > 2, which is opening upwards and is in a constant
gravitational eld gz. The string also has a constant angular velocity equal to z about z-axis. A bead of
mass m is free to slide in the string frictionlessly.
(a) Find the Euler-Lagranges equation of motion.
(b) Find the beads equilibrium height on the string.
(c) Assuming small displacement about the equilibrium position and thus, nd the time period of the small
vibrations about the equilibrium point.
(d) How your answers to above questions change, if at all, for n = 2?
7. Using the Euler-Lagranges equations, prove the following:
(a) If a Lagrangian for a closed system with N generalised coordinates is not an explicit function of time, then
the quantity (called energy)
E
N

i=1
p
i
q
i
L
is a constant of motion (i.e., dE/dt = 0). Here, p
i
L/ q
i
are called generalised momenta.
(b) E remains a conserved quantity even if the system is not closed as long as the external force eld is
time-independent.
(c) All the generalised momenta are constants of motions when generalised forces (dened as F
i
L/q
i
)
are zero.
8. Let there be an inertial frame of reference (K) in which the Lagrangian of an isolated particle of mass m is
L = mv
2
/2. Another frame of reference (K

, non-inertial) is moving with velocity V(t) (not constant) w.r.t.


K. Using Euler-Lagranges equation, show that in K

a Lagrangian L

mv
2
/2 mr

.A(t) gives the same


equations of motion as given by Newtons laws of motion. Here, prime denotes the corresponding quantities in
K

, A dV/dt and r

is the position vector of the particle in K

.
9. Consider, in an inertial frame K, an isolated free particle of mass m with no external force acting on it. Suppose
the particle is viewed from a non-inertial frame K

which has its origin coinciding with that of K and is rotating


w.r.t K with an angular velocity (t) about an axis passing through the origin.
(a) Show that if Euler-Lagranges equation has to give the same equations of motion as that given by Newtons
laws of motion in K

, then Lagrangian L

should be chosen as
L

=
1
2
mv
2
+
1
2
m(r)
2
+mv

(r) .
(b) Noting that in K, the energy of the particle can be expressed as E = v (L/v) L. Using analogous
expression in K

, prove
E

= E
1
2
m(r)
2
.
(c) Since linear (generalised) momentum p L/v and v = v

+r, prove that


3
i. p

= p, and hence,
ii. angular momentum (J) is same in both K and K

.
iii. Also, show that E

= E J .
10. One calls h(x
1
, x
2
, ..., x
n
) (denoted as h(x) in what follows) a real homogeneous function of degree k, if h(ax) =
a
k
h(x), where a is a real number.
(a) Prove/verify Eulers homogeneous function theorem:

n
i=1
x
i
h
x
i
= kh.
(b) What are the degrees of homogeneity of the potential energies of
i. simple harmonic oscillator,
ii. a particle moving a constant gravitational eld, and,
iii. a particle moving in an inverse square law central force eld.
(c) Suppose a closed system of N particles has potential energy function U(r
1
, r
2
, ..., r
N
) which is a homoge-
neous function of degree k. Find out the relation between and used in the transformations: r r

= r
and t t

= t, such that the equations of motion in terms of primed coordinates are of the same form as
that in unprimed ones.
(d) Verify that the eect of the transformation outlined in the immediately preceding question is to multiply
the relevant Lagrangian by a constant factor
k
if =
1k/2
.
(e) Thus, for the problem in hand we have basically found that two geometrically similar trajectories in the
conguration space require times, and

say, related to the ratio of the linear dimensions of the two


paths as

/ = (l

/l)
1k/2
. Using this, prove:
i. simple harmonic oscillations frequency is independent of amplitude,
ii. time of fall of a particle in constant gravity is proportional to the square-root of the initial altitude,
and,
iii. Keplers third law for planetary motion.

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