Classical Dynamics: Example Sheet 1: Comments Welcome: Please Send Them To Berry Groisman (bg268@)

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Classical Dynamics: Example Sheet 1

Michaelmas 2012 Comments welcome: please send them to Berry Groisman (bg268@) 1. (Practice in applications of Variational Calculus) i) Prove that the shortest distance between two points in (Euclidean) space is a straight line. ii) Show that the geodesics (i.e. shortest distances between two points) of a spherical surface are great circles, i.e. circles whose centres lie at the centre of the sphere. iii) Show that the solution to the brachistochrone problem is an (inverted) cycloid with a cusp at the initial point at which the particle is released. Hint: the dierential equation of a cycloid created by a circle of radius a is dy/dx = (2a y )/y . 2. The circular hoop of radius a rotates with frequency around x vertical axis which goes through its centre. The bead, of mass m, is threaded on the hoop and moves without friction. i) Using Lagrangian formalism derive second order dierential equation for parameter - the angle from the vertical line through the centre of the hoop to the bead. ii) Derive the same dierential equation using Newtonian formalism. Compare the two methods. 3. A particle moves in one dimension, in a potential V (x), where x is the spatial coordinate. The dynamics is governed by the Lagrangian L = 1 2 4 m x + mx 2 V V 2 . 12 (1)

Show that the resulting equation of motion is identical to that which arises from the mx 2 V . more traditional Lagrangian, L = 1 2 4. The Lagrangian for a relativistic point particle, of mass m , is L = mc2 )/c2 V (r), 1 ( rr (2)

where c is the speed of light. Derive the equation of motion, and show that it reduces | to Newtons equation of motion in the limit |r c.

5. A double pendulum is drawn below. Two light rods, of lengths l1 and l2 , oscillate in the same plane. Attached to them are masses m1 and m2 . How many degrees of freedom does the system have? Write down the Lagrangian describing the dynamics. Derive the equations of motion.

l1 m1 l2 2 m2

6. The pivot of a simple pendulum is attached to a disc of radius R , which rotates in the plane of the pendulum, with angular velocity . (See the diagram below). Write down the Lagrangian, and derive the equations of motion for the dynamical variable .
R

l m

7. An electron, of mass m and charge e , moves in a magnetic eld, B = A(r). The Lagrangian for the motion is L =
1 2

r er A(r). mr

(3)

Show that Lagranges equations reproduce the Lorentz force law for the electron. Then:

i) with respect to cylindrical polar coordinates, (r , , z ), consider the vector potential, A = (0 , f (r)/r , 0). (4)

At some initial time, the electron is at a distance r0 from the z axis; its velocity is then in the (r , z )plane. Show that the electrons angular velocity about the z axis is given by = e [f (r) f (r0 )] . mr2 (5)

ii) [Again, with respect to cylindrical polar coordinates.] Consider the (dierent) vector potential, A = (0 , r g (z ) , 0), (6)

where g (z ) > 0 . Find two constants of the motion. The electron is projected from a point, (r0 , 0 , z0 ), with velocity (0 , 2 e r0 g (z0 )/m , 0). Show that the electron will then describe a circular orbit, provided that g (z0 ) = 0 . Show that these orbits are stable against small translations in the z direction, provided that g > 0 . 8. A particle, of mass m1 , is restricted to move on a circle of radius R1 in the plane z = 0 , with centre at (x, y ) = (0, 0). A second particle, of mass m2 , is restricted to move on a circle of radius R2 in the plane z = c , with centre at (x, y ) = (0, a). The two particles are connected by a spring; the resulting potential is V =
1 2

2 d2 ,

where d is the distance between the particles. i) Identify the two generalised coordinates and write down the Lagrangian of the system. ii) Write down the Lagrangian in the case the circles lie directly beneath each other, a = 0, and identify a conserved quantity that appears in this case. 9. Two particles, each of mass m , are connected by a light rope, of length l . One particle sits on a smooth horizontal table at a distance r from a hole, through which the rope is threaded. The second particle hangs straight beneath the hole.

i) Assume that the second particle hangs straight beneath the hole. Write down the Lagrangian of the system in terms of r and a variable , describing the angle that the rst particle makes, with respect to a xed axis. Identify an ignorable coordinate. Write down the equation of motion for the remaining coordinate, assuming that the rope remains taught. ii) Assume now that the second particle oscillates beneath the table, as a spherical pendulum. How many degrees of freedom does the system now have? Write down the Lagrangian describing this motion, assuming that the rope remains taught at all times. How many ignorable coordinates are there? 10. Consider a system with n dynamical degrees of freedom, and generalised co ordinates denoted by q a , a = 1 , . . . , n . The most general form for a purely kinetic Lagrangian is L =
1 2

gab (qc ) q a q b ,

(7)

where the summation convention is being used. The functions gab = gba depend on the generalised coordinates. Assume that det(gab ) = 0 , whence, the inverse matrix, g ab , exists (obeying g ab gbc = ac ). Show that Lagranges equations for this system are given by q a + a b q c = 0 , bc q where one denes a bc =
1 2

(8)

g ad

gbd gcd gbc + q c q b q d

(9)

Side Remark: The functions gab dene a metric on the conguration space, and the equations (8) are known as the geodesic equations. In addition to appearing naturally in dierential geometry, these equations arise in general relativity, describing the motion of a particle falling freely under gravity (where a gravitational eld is described by a curved spacetime). Lagrangians of the form (7) appear in many other areas of physics, such as the study of solids, of nuclear forces and of string theory. In these physics contexts, systems with a Lagrangian of the form (7) are known as sigma models.

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