A Course on

Classical
Mechanics
(Lecture 9)
Speaker
Dr. Burhan Zamir
(Assistant Professor of Physics)

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Hamiltonian Mechanics

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 Legendre’s Transformation
Theorem
Statement:
Let a function F(𝒖𝟏 , 𝒖𝟐 , 𝒖𝟑 , … , 𝒖𝒏 ) depends explicitly on n
independent variable 𝒖𝒊 , 𝒊 = 𝟏, 𝟐, 𝟑, … , 𝒏 . Let F be
transformed to another function G( 𝒗𝟏 , 𝒗𝟐 , 𝒗𝟑 , … , 𝒗𝒏 )
expressed explicitly in terms of a new set of independent
variables 𝒗𝒊 , 𝒊 = 𝟏, 𝟐, 𝟑, … , 𝒏 , where new variables are
connected to the old variables by a given set of variables

𝝏𝑭 𝒖𝒊
𝒗𝒊 = , 𝒊 = 𝟏, 𝟐, 𝟑, … , 𝒏
𝝏𝒖𝒊
And the form of G (𝒗𝒊 ) is 3

𝑮 𝒗𝒊 = 𝒖𝒊 𝒗𝒊 − 𝑭 𝒖𝒊
Then the variables {𝑢𝑖 } satisfy the dual transformation
relations

𝝏𝑮 𝒗𝒊
𝒖𝒊 = , 𝒊 = 𝟏, 𝟐, 𝟑, … , 𝒏
𝝏𝒗𝒊
and
𝑭 𝒖𝒊 = 𝒖𝒊 𝒗𝒊 − 𝑮 𝒗𝒊
The duality of transformation between two functions
𝐹 𝑢𝑖 and 𝐺 𝑣𝑖 is referred to as Legendre’s dual
transformations

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 Proof:

Since we have Therefore

𝑮 𝒗𝒊 = 𝒖𝒊 𝒗𝒊 − 𝑭 𝒖𝒊 𝝏𝑮
𝜹𝒗 = 𝒖𝒊 𝜹𝒗𝒊
𝜹𝑮 𝒗𝒊 = 𝜹 𝒖𝒊 𝒗𝒊 − 𝑭 𝒖𝒊 𝝏𝒗𝒊 𝒊
𝜹𝒗𝒊 are arbitrary, so that
𝝏𝑮 𝝏𝑭
𝜹𝒗𝒊 = 𝒖𝒊 𝜹𝒗𝒊 + 𝒗𝒊 𝜹𝒖𝒊 − 𝜹𝒖
𝝏𝒗𝒊 𝝏𝒖𝒊 𝒊 𝝏𝑮
𝒖𝒊 =
𝝏𝒗𝒊
𝝏𝑮 𝝏𝑭
𝜹𝒗 = 𝒖𝒊 𝜹𝒗𝒊 + 𝒗𝒊 − 𝜹𝒖𝒊 And
𝝏𝒗𝒊 𝒊 𝝏𝒖𝒊
𝑮 𝒗𝒊 = 𝒖𝒊 𝒗𝒊 − 𝑭 𝒖𝒊
We know that
Can simply be rearranged as
𝝏𝑭
𝒗𝒊 = 𝑭 𝒖𝒊 = 𝒖𝒊 𝒗𝒊 − 𝑮 𝒗𝒊
𝝏𝒖𝒊

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 Extension of Legendre’s Theorem
Suppose that there is a further set of “m” independent passive
variables 𝝎𝒋 , 𝒋 = 𝟏, 𝟐, … , 𝒎 which are present in both F and G. The
Legendre’s dual transformation is satisfied if

𝝏𝑭 𝝏𝑮
=− 𝒋 = 𝟏, 𝟐, … , 𝒎
𝝏𝝎𝒋 𝝏𝝎𝒋

Proof: Consider

𝑮 𝒗𝒊 , 𝝎𝒋 = 𝒖𝒊 𝒗𝒊 − 𝑭 𝒖𝒊 , 𝝎𝒋
𝒊 = 𝟏, 𝟐, 𝟑, … , 𝒏 & 𝒋 = 𝟏, 𝟐, … , 𝒎

𝜹𝑮 𝒗𝒊 , 𝝎𝒋 = 𝜹 𝒖𝒊 𝒗𝒊 − 𝑭 𝒖𝒊 , 𝝎𝒋

𝝏𝑮 𝝏𝑮 𝝏𝑭 𝝏𝑭
𝜹𝒗 + 𝜹𝝎𝒋 = 𝒖𝒊 𝜹𝒗𝒊 + 𝒗𝒊 𝜹𝒖𝒊 − 𝜹𝒖 − 𝜹𝝎𝒋
𝝏𝒗𝒊 𝒊 𝝏𝝎𝒋 𝝏𝒖𝒊 𝒊 𝝏𝝎𝒋
Legendre transformation is satisfied provided 6
𝝏𝑭 𝝏𝑮
=−
𝝏𝝎𝒋 𝝏𝝎𝒋
 Hamilton’s Equation
Let us apply Legendre’s transformation to the Lagrangian of a system
𝑳 = 𝑳 𝒒𝒊 , 𝒒𝒊 , 𝒕
With 𝑞𝑖 as the active variables and 𝑞𝑖 and t as the passive variables.
The dual variables of 𝑞𝑖 are given by the generalized momenta
𝝏𝑳
𝒑𝒊 = , 𝑖 = 1,2, … , 𝑛
𝝏𝒒𝒊

The dual function of the Lagrangian L is

𝑯 𝒒𝒊 , 𝒑𝒊 , 𝒕 = 𝒑𝒊 𝒒𝒊 − 𝑳 𝒒𝒊 , 𝒒𝒊 , 𝒕
Where 𝐻 𝑞𝑖 , 𝑝𝑖 , 𝑡 is called the Hamilton’s function or the Hamiltonian
of the system.
The dual transformation of
𝝏𝑳 𝝏𝑯 7
𝒑𝒊 = is 𝒒𝒊 =
𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝝏𝒑𝒊
The equations for the passive
The set of equations
variables 𝑞𝑖 and t are

𝝏𝑳 𝝏𝑯
𝝏𝑯
=− 𝒒𝒊 =
𝝏𝒕 𝝏𝒕 𝝏𝒑𝒊
And
𝝏𝑯
𝝏𝑳 𝝏𝑯 𝒑𝒊 = −
=− 𝝏𝒒𝒊
𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝝏𝒒𝒊
Now
is known as Hamilton’s
𝒅 𝝏𝑳 𝝏𝑳 equations of motion
= 𝒑𝒊 =
𝒅𝒕 𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝝏𝒒𝒊

𝝏𝑯
𝒑𝒊 = −
𝝏𝒒𝒊
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Hamilton’s Principle
(or Least Action Principle)
(or Integral Principle)

Mathematically
𝒕𝟐
𝜹𝑰 = 𝜹 𝑳 𝒅𝒕 = 𝟎 9
𝒕𝟏
Derivation of Hamilton’s Equations
from Hamilton’s Principle
By principle of least action
𝒕𝟐
𝜹𝑰 = 𝜹𝑳 𝒅𝒕 = 𝟎
𝒕𝟏
Hamiltonian is given by
𝑳 𝒒𝒊 , 𝒒𝒊 = 𝒑𝒊 𝒒𝒊 − 𝑯(𝒒𝒊 , 𝒑𝒊 )

𝝏𝑯 𝝏𝑯
𝜹𝑳 = 𝒑𝒊 𝜹𝒒𝒊 + 𝒒𝒊 𝜹𝒑𝒊 − 𝜹𝒒𝒊 − 𝜹𝒑
𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝝏𝒑𝒊 𝒊

𝝏𝑯 𝝏𝑯
𝜹𝑳 = 𝒑𝒊 𝜹𝒒𝒊 − 𝒑𝒊 𝜹𝒒𝒊 + 𝒑𝒊 𝜹𝒒𝒊 + 𝒒𝒊 𝜹𝒑𝒊 − 𝜹𝒒 − 𝜹𝒑
𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝒊 𝝏𝒑𝒊 𝒊

𝝏𝑯 𝝏𝑯
𝜹𝑳 = 𝒑𝒊 𝜹𝒒𝒊 − 𝒑𝒊 𝜹𝒒𝒊 + 𝒑𝒊 𝜹𝒒𝒊 + 𝒒𝒊 𝜹𝒑𝒊 − 𝜹𝒒𝒊 − 𝜹𝒑
𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝝏𝒑𝒊 𝒊

𝒅 𝝏𝑯 𝝏𝑯 10
𝜹𝑳 = 𝒑 𝜹𝒒 − 𝒑𝒊 + 𝜹𝒒𝒊 + 𝒒𝒊 − 𝜹𝒑𝒊
𝒅𝒕 𝒊 𝒊 𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝝏𝒑𝒊
Now
𝒕𝟐 𝒕𝟐 𝒕𝟐
𝒕 𝝏𝑯 𝝏𝑯
𝜹𝑰 = 𝜹𝑳 𝒅𝒕 = 𝒑𝒊 𝜹𝒒𝒊 𝒕𝟐𝟏 − 𝒑𝒊 + 𝜹𝒒𝒊 𝒅𝒕 − 𝒒𝒊 − 𝜹𝒑𝒊 𝒅𝒕
𝒕𝟏 𝒕𝟏 𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝒕𝟏 𝝏𝒑𝒊

Since 𝜹𝒒𝒊 𝒕𝟏 = 𝜹𝒒𝒊 𝒕𝟐 = 𝟎

𝒕𝟐 𝒕𝟐
𝝏𝑯 𝝏𝑯
𝜹𝑰 = 𝟎 − 𝒑𝒊 + 𝜹𝒒𝒊 𝒅𝒕 − 𝒒𝒊 − 𝜹𝒑𝒊 𝒅𝒕
𝒕𝟏 𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝒕𝟏 𝝏𝒑𝒊

𝒕𝟐 𝒕𝟐
𝝏𝑯 𝝏𝑯
𝟎= 𝒑𝒊 + 𝜹𝒒𝒊 𝒅𝒕 + 𝒒𝒊 − 𝜹𝒑𝒊 𝒅𝒕
𝒕𝟏 𝝏𝒒𝒊 𝒕𝟏 𝝏𝒑𝒊

Since 𝜹𝑰 = 𝟎

𝝏𝑯
𝒑𝒊 = − Hamilton’s Equations
𝝏𝒒𝒊
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𝝏𝑯
𝒒𝒊 =
𝝏𝒑𝒊
In the next lecture we continue
Hamilton’s Equations

Thanks
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