Homework #9 PHYS 601 Fall 2013 Due on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 online

Professor Victor Yakovenko Oce: 2115 Physics

Web page: http://physics.umd.edu/~yakovenk/teaching/ GPS: Goldstein, Poole, Safko, Classical Mechanics, 3rd edition, 2002, ISBN 0-201-65702-3 LL: Landau and Lifshitz, Mechanics, 3rd edition, 1976, ISBN 978-0-7506-2896-9 Total score is 36 points.

Small Oscillations, LL Ch. 5, GPS Ch. 6

1. Foucault Pendulum, 12 points. Foucault pendulum is modeled as an object of mass m moving in the horizontal (x, y ) plane subject to a potential V = (x2 + y 2 )/2. Use the non-inertial reference frame attached to the rotating Earth at a geographic location characterized by the polar angle measured from the North Pole. So, the body experiences the Coriolis force 2mv z , where v = (x, y ) and z = cos is the vertical projection of the angular velocity = 2/T of the Earth with T = 24 hours. (a) Write two coupled equations of motion for (x, y ) and nd the eigenfrequencies and normal modes of the system. Sketch and physically interpret the motion in the normal modes. (b) Suppose the object initially oscillates along the x direction (1, 0). Calculate subsequent motion of the object and nd precession frequency of the line of oscillations in the (x, y ) plane. (c) Calculate the total angle of precession in 24 hours. Verify your answer in the limiting cases = 0 (North Pole), = (South Pole), and = /2 (the Equator). 2. Problem I.1 from the physics qualier exam in January 2013, 12 points. Consider a system consisting of three particles of masses m1 = m, m2 = M , and m3 = m. At the start, m1 moves with velocity v0 , collides with the spring extending on the left side of m2 , and sticks to it, thus creating a system of three masses connected by two massless springs of force constant and equal lengths.
A A A A A A A A

m1 = m

v0

m2 = M
A A A A A A A A

m3 = m

All questions below refer to the system after the collision. (a) Write down the Lagrangian of the system and the Lagrange equations of motion. (b) Determine the eigenfrequencies and eigenvectors (normal modes) of the system. Discuss symmetry of the normal modes.

Homework #9, Phys601, Fall 2013, Prof. Yakovenko (c) What is the center-of-mass velocity of the system? What is the maximal displacement of the mass m2 away from the center of mass during the subsequent motion of the system after the collision? (d) Calculate the energies allocated to each of the three normal modes after the collision. Verify that their sum is equal to the initial kinetic energy. 3. Problems 6.8 and 6.9, 12 points. Triangular molecule with the right angle. Answer questions from the textbook and additional questions. Additional question: Discuss symmetries (parities) of the normal modes of vibration and sketch their patterns of displacement. Directions: You can nd normal modes of vibration from a 6 6 matrix by eliminating zero modes. Alternatively, you can introduce degrees of freedom that eliminate solid rotation and center-of-mass displacement from the beginning and work with a 3 3 matrix. See discussion and solved problems in Ch. 5.24 of LL.

November 20, 2013