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PHY6426/Fall 07: CLASSICAL MECHANICS

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #1
due by 9:35 a.m. Wed 09/05
Instructor: D. L. Maslov
maslov@phys.ufl.edu 392-0513 Rm. 2114

Please help your instructor by doing your work neatly.

1. Goldstein, Problem 1.14 (Note that the rod can be at an arbitrary angle to the plane.) (20 points)
Solution: See Figure 2 for notations. Introducing the c.o.m and relative coordinates
r1 + r 2
R =
2
r = r 1 r2 ,

or, in reverse,

r1 = R + r/2
r2 = R r/2,

we obtain for the kinetic energy


1 2 1 2
 2 1
2
T = m (r1 ) + m (r2 ) = m R + m (r) .
2 2 4
Now,
 2  2
R = a2

whereas

r = (sin cos , sin sin , cos )

and
 
r = ` cos cos sin sin , cos sin + sin cos , sin
  2 
(r)2 = `2 2 + sin2 .

Finally,
 2 1   2 
2 2 2 2
T = ma + m` + sin .
4

If the rode is constrained to move in the plane ( = /2, = 0), this expression simplifies to
 2 1  2
T = ma2 + m`2 .
4

2. A geodesic is a line that represents the shortest path between any two points when the path is restricted to a
particular surface. Show that the geodesic on the surface of a right cylinder is a segment of a helix. Hint: The
equation of a helix is z = C, where C is a constant. (20 points)
Solution: The element of distance along the surface is
p
ds = dx2 + dy 2 + dz 2 . (1)
2


FIG. 1:

In cylindrical coordinates,

x = cos , y = sin , z = z

from which

dx = sin d (2)
dy = cos d
dz = dz.

Substituting (2) into (1) and integrating along the entire path between points 1 and 2, we find
Z 2 p Z 2 p
s= 2 2 2
d + dz = d 2 + z 2 ,
1 1
p
where z = dz/d. If s is to be minimum, the function f = 2 + z 2 must satisfy the Euler equation

d f f
= = 0,
d z z
f
because z = 0. Thus

d f d z 2
= =0
d z d 2 + z 2
p

or
z 2
p = C=constant
2 + z 2

Solving for z, we find


r
C2
z = .
1 C2
Since is a constant, it means that

z = A,

where A is a constant. This is the equation for a helix.


3

3. Goldstein, Problem 1.22 (20 points)


Solution:

x1 = `1 sin 1
y1 = `1 cos 1
x2 = `1 sin 1 + `2 sin 2
y2 = `1 cos 1 + `2 cos 2

1 h
2 2
i 1  2
T1 = m1 (x1 ) + (y1 ) = m1 `21 1
2 2
U1 = m1 g`1 sin 1

   
1 h
2 2
i 1 2  2
T2 = m2 (x2 ) + (y2 ) = m2 `21 1 + `22 2 + 2`1 `2 1 2 cos (1 2 )
2 2
U2 = m2 g`2 sin 2

L = T 1 + T2 U 1 U 2
m1 + m2 2  2 m2 2  2
= `1 1 + ` 2 + m2 `1 `2 1 2 cos (1 2 )
2 2 2
+ (m1 + m2 ) g`1 cos 1 + m2 g`2 cos 2 .

Equations of motion

h   i
(m1 + m2 ) `1 1 + m2 `2 2 cos (1 2 ) 2 1 2 sin (1 2 ) + m2 `2 1 2 sin (1 2 ) + (m1 + m2 ) g sin 1 = 0
  2 
(m1 + m2 ) `1 1 + m2 `2 2 cos (1 2 ) + 2 sin (1 2 ) + (m1 + m2 ) g sin 1 = 0

and

h   i
m2 `22 2 + m2 `1 `2 1 cos (1 2 ) 1 1 2 sin (1 2 ) m`1 `2 1 2 sin (1 2 ) + m2 g`2 sin 2 = 0
 2
`2 2 + `1 [1 cos (1 2 ) 1 sin(1 2 )] + g sin 2 = 0

1. Linearizing the exact equations of motion for a double plane pendulum, obtained in the previous problem, find
the characteristic frequencies of small oscillations. (20 points)
olution: Approximating sin and cos 1 in Eqs.(??,??), we obtain

(m1 + m2 ) `1 1 + m2 `2 2 + (m1 + m2 ) g1 = 0
`2 2 + `1 1 + g2 = 0

Substituting

1 = A1 eit
2 = A2 eit ,

we obtain a characteristic equation

A1 (m1 + m2 ) g 2 `1 m2 `2 2 A2 = 0


A1 `1 2 + A2 m2 g `2 2 = 0

4

FIG. 2:

The condition that the determinant is equal to zero yields


s  
g
q
2
= (m1 + m2 ) (`1 + `2 ) (m1 + m2 ) [(m1 + m2 ) (`1 + `2 ) 4m1 `1 `2 ] .
2m1 `1 `2

2. a) Goldstein, Problem 2.14. (15 points)


Variational solution: Notations: distance to the center of mass of the hoop is , the angular position of the
c.o.m. os , and the angular position of a point on the rim is . Lagrangian
1 2 1  2 1  2
L = m () + m2 + mr2 mg cos
2 2 2
Constraints:

= r+R (3)
= r (4)

The second constraint is the no-slipping condition = r, integrated over time. Indeed, a general condition
of a no-slipping contact of two bodies is that the velocities at the contact point are the same. When one of
the bodies is stationary (cylinder), this implies that the contact point is stationary as well. The velocity of the
contact point is the sum of the velocity of the center of mass and the linear velocity of the rim. At the contact
point, these two velocities are anti-parallel, hence

0 = vc.m. r.

On the other hand,

vc.m. = .

Hence,

= r,

and Eq.(4).
Correspondingly, there are two constraint functions

f1 = r R
f2 = r

Since neither of the constraints functions depends on the velocities, only the spatial derivatives f /qj appear.
Lagranges equations
d L L f1 f2
= 1 + 2 = 1 + 2
dt
5

d L L f2 f2
= 1 + 2 = 1
dt
d L L f2
= 2 = 2 r
dt
or
 2
m m + mg cos = 1 + 2 (5)
d  2 
m mg sin = 2 (6)
dt
mr2 = r2 (7)

Differentiating Eqs.(3) and (4) over time, we find

= = 0 (8)
= r.

Eq.(7) then gives


 2
m + mg cos = 1 + 2 (9)
g sin = 2 /m (10)
m = 2 (11)

Substuting 2 from the last equation into (??), we find that


g
= sin .
2
Recalling that
1 d 2
=
2 d
and integrating the resulting equation with the initial conditions (t = 0) = 0 and (t = 0) = 0, we obtain
g
2 = (1 cos ) .

Substuting this into Eq.(9)

2mg cos mg = 1 + 2

The physical meaning of 1 + 2 is the normal force. The hoop looses contact with the cylinder, when
1 + 2 = 0 or when
1
cos = = 60 .
2

b) Repeat Problem 2.14 for an object with inertia I rolling down the cylinder. In which limit does the answer
reduce to the case of a point mass sliding down the cylinder? (5 points)
SolutionThe variational solution can be carried out in the same way. Just to do things differently this time, I will
solve this problem using energy conservation and 2nd Law. Once the constraint v c.m. = r , where is the angular
velocity of rolling, is resolved, the kinetic energy can be written as for an object with inertia I

1 1 1 1 v2
T = 2
mvc.m. + I 2 = mvc.m.
2
+ I c.m. .
2 2 2 2 r2
The kinetic energy is equal to the change in the potential energy

U = mg(1 cos )
6

and
1 1 v2
2
mvc.m. + I c.m. = mg(1 cos ).
2 2 r2
Second law for the center of mass of the hoop says
2
mvc.m.
= mg cos N,

where N is the normal force. Condition N = 0, when the hoop loses the contact with the cylinder, correspond to
2
mvc.m.
= mg cos ,

or
1 1
mv 2 = mg cos .
2 c.m. 2
Substituting the last relation into the energy conservation, we find
1
mg cos (1 + I/mr 2 ) = mg(1 cos )
2
2
cos = .
3 + I/mr2

For a hoop, I = mr 2 and

cos = 1/2.

The limit I 0 correspond to a non-rolling object. In this case we recover

cos = 2/3

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