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The document contains exercise problems for a Classical Mechanics course at KAIST, focusing on topics such as the motion of a rolling disk, variational calculus, and Hamilton's principle for a harmonic oscillator. Each problem includes specific tasks such as setting up equations of motion, formulating functionals, and deriving differential equations. The exercises are designed to deepen understanding of classical mechanics principles through mathematical formulation and problem-solving.

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28 views2 pages

Sheet 3

The document contains exercise problems for a Classical Mechanics course at KAIST, focusing on topics such as the motion of a rolling disk, variational calculus, and Hamilton's principle for a harmonic oscillator. Each problem includes specific tasks such as setting up equations of motion, formulating functionals, and deriving differential equations. The exercises are designed to deepen understanding of classical mechanics principles through mathematical formulation and problem-solving.

Uploaded by

똑금물
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Department of Physics, KAIST

Prof. Andrey Moskalenko

Classical Mechanics
Spring semester 2025 - Exercise sheet 3

Problem 7: Rolling disk.


The position of a circular disk of radius R rolling on the xy plane is described by the coordinates x, y
of the support point, the rolling direction ϕ, and the rolling angle ψ (see figure). This problem can be
treated starting from the equation
d ∂T ∂T
!
− = Qk , (1)
dt ∂q̇k ∂qk
where qk are the independent generalized coordinates, T is the kinetic energy, Ki are the external driving
forces and Qk are the generalized forces.

In the case of non-holonomic constraints f j (q1 , . . . , qm ; q̇1 , . . . , q̇m ; t) = 0 here the index j numbers the

non-holonomic constraints; the holonomic constraints were eliminated when introducing the coordinates
q1 , . . . , qm (m ≤ n) as

X ∂ f j (q1 , . . . , qm ; q̇1 , . . . , q̇m ; t)
Qk = λj
j
∂q̇k
where λ j are unknown parameters that have to be eliminated when solving the equations of motion.

a) Use Eq. (1) to set up the equations of motion. The disk plane always remains vertical while
moving.
Hint: the kinetic energy of rotating an object around an axis along the xi direction is given by
T rot = 12 Ii Ω2 , where Ii is the corresponding moment of inertia and Ω is the corresponding angular
velocity.

b) Then solve these equations of motion together with the constraints and the initial conditions:

x(t = 0) = y(t = 0) = 0, ϕ(t = 0) = ψ(t = 0) = 0, ϕ̇(t = 0) = ω1 , ψ̇(t = 0) = ω2 .

Problem 8: Variational calculus.


The subject of the calculus of variations are functionals, i.e. mappings that assign a number (the value of
the functional) to a function. To distinguish between functionals and functions, we use square brackets
for the argument of a functional. At the focus point of the calculus of variations is the question which
function maximizes or minimizes a given functional. As an example, consider a chain of length is ℓ
(with homogeneous mass distribution) suspended between points (x1 , y1 ) and (x2 , y2 ) under the influence
of a homogeneous gravitational field. We want to calculate what would be the shape of the suspended
chain. Thus, we are looking for the function f (x) that satisfies the boundary conditions:

f (x1 ) = y1 and f (x2 ) = y2 .

a) First formulate a functional V[ f (x)] that gives the potential energy of the chain.

b) Then formulate a functional L[ f (x)] that gives the length of the chain.

c) Now you should minimize V[ f (x)] with the constraint that L[ f (x)] = ℓ holds. In order to be able
to deal with this variational problem, one introduces a so-called Lagrangian multiplier λ:
 
S [ f (x), λ] = V[ f (x)] + λ L[ f (x)] − ℓ .

Find a differential equation for f (x) that follows from the demanded condition δS [ f (x)] = 0. To
see what is the shape of the chain, determine the general solution of this equation. What are 3
conditions to find 3 parameters in this equation?
Hint: use the Euler-Lagrange equation of the variational calculus:
d ∂F(y, y′ ; x) ∂F(y, y′ ; x)
− = 0,
dx ∂y′ ∂y
where y′ = dy/dx. Their solutions are stationary “points” of the functional
Z x2
J[y] = dx F(y, y′ ; x)
x1

and thus fulfill the necessary condition (δJ = 0) for a minimum.

Problem 9: Hamilton’s principle for the harmonic oscillator.


a) Set up the action functional S [x(t)] (t ∈ [0, τ]) for a 1D harmonic oscillator. In order to be
able to examine whether the action is maximal or minimal, we introduce a deviation η(t) by
x(t) = x0 (t) + εη(t) (x0 (t) is the solution for the harmonic oscillator). As initial condition we
choose x0 (0) = 0, ẋ0 (0) = v0 . Show that
m 2 τ
Z
1  
S = mx0 (τ) ẋ0 (τ) − ε dt η(t) η̈(t) + ω2 η(t) . (2)
2 2 0

Note the boundary conditions for η(t), which are here different from the lecture!

b) The sign of the second term in Eq. (2) can be easily discussed if we write η(t) in a special form as
Fourier series ∞ !
X kπt
η(t) = ak sin ,
k=1
τ
where the coefficients ak are given by
Z τ !
2 kπt
ak = dt η(t) sin .
τ 0 τ
Using the Fourier series, show that the solution x0 (t) actually minimizes the action S for 0 < τ <
T/2 (T is the period). Give examples showing that the action for T/2 < τ < T is not necessarily
minimal!
Hint: Differentiation and integration by terms is allowed.

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