Homework CM-17-03

HOMEWORK 3.
1. A cart of mass M is placed on rails and attached to a wall with the help of a massless
spring with constant k ; the spring is in its equilibrium state when the cart is at a distance x0
from the wall. A pendulum of mass m and length l is attached to the cart.
a) Write the Lagrangian L = L(x, x, , ) for the cart-pendulum system, where x denotes the
position of the cart (as measured from a suitable origin) and denotes the angular position of
the pendulum.
b) From your Lagrangian, write the Euler-Lagrange equations for the generalized coordinates
x and .

2. An Atwood machine is composed of two masses m and M attached by means of a massless

rope into which a massless spring (with constant k) is inserted. When the spring is in a relaxed
state, the spring-rope length is l.
a) Find suitable generalized coordinates to describe the motion of the two masses (allowing
for elongation or compression of the spring).
b) Using these generalized coordinates, construct the Lagrangian and derive the appropriate
Euler-Lagrange equations.

3. A point mass m slides without friction inside a surface of revolution z = sin(r/R), whose
symmetry axis lies along the direction of a uniform gravitational field g. Consider 0 < r/R < /2.
a) Construct the Lagrangian L(r, , r, ) and compute the equations of motion for the gen-
eralized coordinates r and .
b) Are there stationary horizontal circular orbits?

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 c) Which of these orbits is stable under small impulses along the surface transverse to the
direction of motion?
d) If the orbit is stable, what is the frequency of oscillation about the equilibrium orbit?

4. A bead of mass m slides without friction on a rigid wire that lies in the x z plane and
has the shape z = aex , where y is some given positive constant. Gravity acts downwards, with
g = gez .
a) Write the full Lagrangian for this problem, and write equations for the two holonomic
constraints, first that the mass is confined to the plane y = 0, and second that it is confined to
z = aex .
b) Write the three Euler-Lagrange equations, introducing the Lagrange multipliers 1 and 2
as appropriate.
c) Use the constraints to write a reduced Lagrangian Lred (x, x, t) , with x serving as the
single free coordinate. Derive the reduced energy from this reduced Lagrangian, and use it to
find an expression for x2 as a function of x. (Assume that the mass is released from rest at
the pointx = 0.) Also use the reduced Euler-Lagrange equation to find an expression for x as a
function of x and x.
d) Write an expression for the Cartesian vector force of constraint Fconstr acting on the
particle, expressing it as a function of x only. Check the limit of Fconstr as x . Is it
reasonable?

5. Consider the Lagrangian for a point particle of mass m

m k
L= q q q 2
2 2
Solve explicitly the equations of motion.

6. Read carefully Chapter 3 of Fetter and Walecka (attached). The calculus of variations
part we will see later in detail. The example of a cylinder rolling on another is a classic worth
going through.