The Euler-Lagrange Equation and Conserved Momenta · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.
به انگلیسی

From energy to motion

Science · Forces & Motion · ages 21-22
Name ______________________   Date ____________
  1. With no nonconservative generalized force, a coordinate never appears in L. What does that imply?

    • Its momentum is conserved
    • Its acceleration must be zero
    • The Lagrangian is invalid
  2. What does applying the Euler Lagrange equation to L return?

    • The constraint forces on the system
    • Each coordinate's equation of motion
    • The numerical value of the total energy
  3. Which symmetry conserves angular momentum?

    • Shifting the clock
    • Rotation symmetry
    • Rescaling the mass
  4. Free motion in a plane uses polar coordinates with T = ½m(ṙ² + r²φ̇²) and V = 0. Which momentum is conserved for every free trajectory?

    • The radial momentum m r dot is conserved
    • Neither momentum is conserved
    • The angular momentum m r squared phi dot
  5. For the pendulum Lagrangian script L equals half m l squared rate squared plus m g l cos theta, what is partial L partial rate?

    • m l squared rate
    • m g l sin theta
    • half m l squared rate squared
  6. With no nonconservative generalised force in a cyclic coordinate, its conjugate momentum is conserved.

    Circle one:   True   False

  7. An autonomous Lagrangian has no explicit time dependence and no nonconservative generalized forces. What follows?

    • The sum over all coordinates of q dot times partial L partial q dot, minus script L, is conserved
    • T + V is always the conserved quantity in every coordinate system, whatever the rates or coordinates are
    • Only cyclic coordinates yield any conserved quantity
  8. From script L equals half m l squared rate squared plus m g l cos theta, the Euler Lagrange equation in theta gives which equation?

    • theta double dot plus g over l times theta equals zero for all swings
    • theta dot squared plus g over l cos theta equals zero
    • theta double dot plus g over l sin theta equals zero
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

From energy to motion W1-mt_GSEFABbEXI-s1

  1. Its momentum is conserved · A missing coordinate is cyclic, so with no nonconservative generalized force its conjugate momentum stays constant.
  2. Each coordinate's equation of motion · Each coordinate yields its own equation of motion through the fixed recipe.
  3. Rotation symmetry · Rotating the description changes nothing, so the corresponding momentum coasts.
  4. The angular momentum m r squared phi dot · Only phi is absent from the whole Lagrangian, so the angular momentum m r squared phi dot is conserved; r appears in the kinetic energy, so the radial momentum need not be conserved, since a straight radial trajectory keeps m r dot constant.
  5. m l squared rate · Only the kinetic term carries the rate, so partial L partial rate is m l squared rate; the cosine term has no rate and drops out.
  6. True · Cyclic means the coordinate never appears in L, so the Euler Lagrange equation leaves its conjugate momentum fixed when no nonconservative generalised force acts.
  7. The sum over all coordinates of q dot times partial L partial q dot, minus script L, is conserved · With no explicit time dependence and no nonconservative generalized forces, the unforced Euler-Lagrange equation makes the generalized energy E = Σᵢ q̇ᵢ ∂L/∂q̇ᵢ − L constant. It equals T + V when L = T − V with T homogeneous quadratic in the rates and V rate-independent, so the two are not always the same thing.
  8. theta double dot plus g over l sin theta equals zero · The derivatives give ml²θ̈ + mgl sin θ = 0, which simplifies to θ̈ + (g/l) sin θ = 0; the small-angle form θ̈ + (g/l)θ = 0 holds only for small swings.
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