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Assignment 3 PHY201

The document provides examples of dynamical systems and asks the reader to determine the number of degrees of freedom and generalized coordinates for each one, including examples such as free particles, masses on strings, rigid bodies, and particles or masses constrained in various ways. It also discusses concepts such as redundant constraints and how fixing a rigid body at different numbers of points affects its degrees of freedom.

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29 views3 pages

Assignment 3 PHY201

The document provides examples of dynamical systems and asks the reader to determine the number of degrees of freedom and generalized coordinates for each one, including examples such as free particles, masses on strings, rigid bodies, and particles or masses constrained in various ways. It also discusses concepts such as redundant constraints and how fixing a rigid body at different numbers of points affects its degrees of freedom.

Uploaded by

Raghav
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Classical Physics (PHY201)

Assignment No. 3

Constraints, Degrees of freedom, Generalized coordinates

Q. In each of the following dynamical system, find out the number of


degrees of freedom and enumerate the generalized coordinates (qis):

i. A free particle.

ii. N free particles each of mass m.

iii. N free particles of masses m1, m2,, mn

iv. A block sliding down a frictionless ramp.

v. A mass m fixed to an inextensible string, the other end of the


string is pivoted to a fixed point (x0, y0, z0).

vi. A mass m fixed to an inextensible string the other end of the


string is attached to a point that moves with a constant velocity in
a rest frame.

vii. A particle of mass m glued to the free end of a light rigid rod of
length l; the other end of the rod is set to execute simple harmonic
motion along a fixed straight line (say x = 0).

viii. A particle of mass m constrained to move on the surface of a sphere


of radius R (for example, in part (v), if you hinge the free end of
the rod to a fixed point in space, say r0, then mass m will be
constrained to move on a sphere of radius R = l and centre r = r0).

ix. A door with one edge hinged on to a rigid wall.

x. A dumbbell in the x-y plane.

xi. A dumbbell in the x-y plane with centre hinged to a point (say, (2,
1)).

xii. Four masses at the corners of a square of side a in the x-y plane.
The centre of the square is hinged to a point (0, 0).

xiii. A square of side a in x-y plane

xiv. A triangular lamina free to move and turn around in the x-y plane.
xv. Three particle (P1, P2 and P3) with fixed inter-particle separations
(i.e., P1P2 =a, P2P3 = b, P3P1 = c, where a, b and c are constants).

xvi. Four particle (Pi {i = 1 to 5}) with fixed inter-particle separations


(i.e., PiPj = aij {i, j = 1 to 5, such that i is not equal to j}) where
aij is a constant).

xvii. Your answer to xii and xiii is same even though the no. of particles
has gone up by one why? Is it because some of the constraint(s) are
redundant; which ones?

xviii. A rigid Ball of radius R whose centre is fixed.

xix. A rigid ball of radius R.

xx. Example: A rigid body fixed at one point O (x0, y0, z0)
Answer: By fixing the rigid body at one space point you have frozen
its 3 translational degrees of freedom); the remaining degrees of
freedom are rotational. Now, in how many ways can you rotate a book
after you have fixed one of its corners or its centre of mass or for
that matter any one point inside the book?

The answer is 3. How did you get to this answer? Think of any point A
in the body (choice of A is arbitrary); since the body is rigid OA
(=a) is fixed (O is the point (x0, y0, z0) where the body is hinged).
Now ask yourself, what possible motion can point A undergo without
violating the constraint OA = a. Clearly, A can be anywhere on a
sphere of radius a centered at O. Therefore, position of point A
can be specified by assigning coordinates and of a sphere (the
latitude and the longitude, if you like). Let us see what happens if
we freeze and also. Apparently, we can still rotate the body about
the axis OA (which accounts for the third rotational degree of
freedom).

If we consider a third point B not lying on the line OA, then


rotation about OA will make B go around in a circle. Therefore, point
B can be assigned angle of a circle in the plane polar coordinates.

Question: How can we be sure that 6 coordinates (3 translation and 3


rotational) are enough to specify the configuration of a rigid body
without any ambiguity?
Answer: If you take some arbitrary 4th point, and name it C, such
that, C doesnt fall on any of the lines OA, OB and AB. As we rotate
the body about OA, C will go around it in a circle (just as B does);
since BC is fixed; the motion of C will either follow or lead that of
B by a fixed angle, hence having knowledge of Bs motion is enough to
predict or calculate that of C; it is in this sense that we dont
require more coordinates than 6 to know the configuration of a rigid
body unambiguously.

Question: What if we freeze all , and (x0, y0, z0 are already


fixed)?
Answer: Since all the six degrees of freedom are frozen; the body
shouldnt move.

Question: What if we fix a rigid body at two points?


Answer: By fixing a rigid body at two points (say, O and A): (i) you
have taken away its 3 translation degrees of freedom; and (ii) 2
rotational degrees of freedom. The only degree of freedom that
remains is rotation of the rigid body about an axis OA (see problem
ix). Thus, a rigid body fixed at 2 points has just 1 degree of
freedom.

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