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EP 222: Classical Mechanics Tutorial Sheet 2

1. This tutorial sheet contains problems related to calculus of variations and Hamilton's principle involving classical mechanics. 2. Problem 1 asks to show that geodesics on a sphere are great circles. Problem 2 involves finding the point at which a rolling hoop falls off a fixed cylinder using Lagrange multipliers. 3. Problem 3 obtains the Lagrange equations of motion for a point mass on a rotating hoop in a vertical plane, and finds the critical angular speed and stationary points. 4. Problem 4 finds the equation of motion for a particle sliding on a moving wedge using Lagrange multipliers, and the constants of motion for the system. 5. Problem 5 shows that for

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Ashok Garg
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108 views2 pages

EP 222: Classical Mechanics Tutorial Sheet 2

1. This tutorial sheet contains problems related to calculus of variations and Hamilton's principle involving classical mechanics. 2. Problem 1 asks to show that geodesics on a sphere are great circles. Problem 2 involves finding the point at which a rolling hoop falls off a fixed cylinder using Lagrange multipliers. 3. Problem 3 obtains the Lagrange equations of motion for a point mass on a rotating hoop in a vertical plane, and finds the critical angular speed and stationary points. 4. Problem 4 finds the equation of motion for a particle sliding on a moving wedge using Lagrange multipliers, and the constants of motion for the system. 5. Problem 5 shows that for

Uploaded by

Ashok Garg
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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EP 222: Classical Mechanics

Tutorial Sheet 2
This tutorial sheet contains problems related to the calculus of variations, and Hamilton’s
principle.

1. Show that the geodesics of a spherical surface are great circles, i.e., circles whose
centers lie at the center of the sphere.

2. A uniform hoop of mass m and radius r rolls without slipping on a fixed cylinder of
radius R. The only external force is that of gravity. If the smaller cylinder starts
rolling from rest on top of the bigger cylinder, use the method of Lagrange multipliers
to find the point at which the hoop falls off the cylinder.

3. A point mass is constrained to move on a massless hoop of radius a fixed in a vertical


plane that rotates about its vertical symmetry axis with constant angular speed ω.
Obtain the Lagrange equations of motion assuming the only external forces arise from
gravity. What are the constants of motion? Show that if ω if greater than a critical
value ω0 , there can be a solution in which the particle remains stationary on the hoop
at a point other than at the bottom, but that if ω < ω0 , the only stationary point for
the particle is at the bottom of the hoop. What is the value of ω0 ?

4. A particle of mass m slides without friction on a wedge of angle α and mass M that can
move without friction on a smooth horizontal surface, as shown in the figure. Treating
the constraint of the particle on the wedge by the method of Lagrange multipliers, find
the equation of motion for particle and wedge. Also obtain an expression for the forces
of constraint. Calculate the work done in time t by the forces of constraint acting on
the particle and on the wedge. What are the constants of motion for the system?

1
5. The one-dimensional harmonic oscillator has the Lagrangian L = 12 mẋ2 − 12 kx2 . Sup-
pose you did not know the solution to the motion but realized that the motion must
be periodic and therefore could be described by a Fourier series of the form
X
x(t) = aj cos jωt,
j=0

(taking t = 0 at a turning point) where ω is the unknown angular frequency of the


motion. This representation for x(t) defines a many-parameter path for the system
point in configuration space. Consider the action integral I for two points t1 and t2
separated by the period T = 2πω
. Show that with this form for the system path, I is
extremum for nonvanishing x only if aj = 0, for all j 6= 1, and only if ω 2 = k/m.

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