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  • Lanczos Variational Principles of Mechanics (1949) p43-49,74-78

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    Lanczos Variational Principles Of Mechanics

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    Lanczos Variational Principles Of Mechanics (1949) p43-49,74-78

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    3 views12 pages

    Lanczos Variational Principles of Mechanics (1949) p43-49,74-78

    Uploaded by

    Hamza moh salem Qatawneh
    Lanczos Variational Principles Of Mechanics

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Auxmary ConpItIons 43 tangent is not zero and the height has no stationary value. That condition is no longer required because the ball arrived at the limit of the available configuration space and there the variation of the position is not reversible. Summary. The extremum of a function requires a stationary value only for reversible displacements. On the boundary of the configuration space, where the variation of the position is not reversible, an extremum is possible without a stationary value. 5. Auxiliary conditions. The Lagrangian \-method. The problem of minimizing a function does not always present itself in the form considered above. The configuration space in which the point P can move may be restricted to less than n dimensions by certain kinematical relations which exist between the coor- dinates. Such kinematical conditions are called “auxiliary con- ions"’ of the given variation problem. If such conditions do not exist and the variables m,..., w%, can be varied without restriction, we have a “‘free”’ variation problem, as considered previously (sections 1-3). We shall now investigate the variation of the function F = Flu, ua... tn); (25.1) with the auxiliary condition Flt ig) 0 (25.2) Our first thought would be to eliminate one of the 1,—for example #,—from the auxiliary condition, expressing it in terms of the other vx. Then our function would depend on the n-1 unrestricted variables w1,..., tn-1 and could be handled as a free variation problem. This method is entirely justified and sometimes advisable. But frequently the elimination is a rather cumbersome procedure. Moreover, the condition (25.2) may be symmetric in the variables 1:,..., t, and there would be no reason why one of the variables should be artificially designated as dependent, the others as independent variables. 44 Tue Cacutus oF VARIATIONS Lagrange devised a beautiful method for handling aux conditions, the ‘‘method of the undetermined multiplier,” preserves the symmetry of the variables without eliminations, and still reduces the problem to one of free variation. The method works quite generally for any number of auxiliary conditions and is applicable even to non-holonomic conditions which are given as non-integrable relations between the differentials of the vari- ables, and not as relations between the variables themselves. In order to understand the nature of the Lagrangian multi- plier method, we start with a single auxiliary condition, given in the form (25.2). Taking the variation of this equation we obtain the following relation between the 6x: x= 2 Ou, while the fact that the variation of F has to vanish at a stationary value, gives burt. + LE buns 0; (25.3) OUn hm (25.4) Ou, oF On We know from section 3 that the condition (25.4) would lead to ous aF : the vanishing of éach ce if the éuy were all independent of each itt fe other. This, however, is not the case, because of the condition (25.3). We agree to eliminate du, in terms of the other varia- of tions—assuming that -S\ is not zero at the point P—and then in consider the other éu; as free variations. But before we do so, we shall modify the expression (25.4). It is obviously permis- sible to multiply the left-hand side of (25.3) by some undeter- mined factor 4, which is a function of 1,..., %n, and add it to 3F. This does not change the value of 6F at all since we have added zero. Hence it is still true that: ae ee or Uda On ey (Liu, + 2f aus ) = 0. (25.5) Buy OUn Auxmary ConpITIONS 45 This move is not trivial because, although we have added zero, we have actually added a swm; the individual terms of the sum are not zero, only the total sum is zero. We write (25.5) in the form = ( +> 2) iu, 0 (25.6) wat \Oux uy. We wish to eliminate xn. But now we can choose } so that the factor multiplying 6un shall vanish: Fy aw Bun un This dispenses with the task of eliminating 6u,. After that our sum is reduced to only n-1 terms: nd > (= +2 A) fus= 0, (25.8) xa \Oux uy, and since only those 61, remain which can be chosen arbitrarily, the conditions of a free variation problem are applicable. These require that the coefficient of each du, shall vanish: bes 1) G50) Outi uy The conditions (25.9), combined with the condition (25.7) on d, lead to the conclusion that each coefficient of the sum (25.6) van- ishes, just as if all the variations bux were free variations. The result of Lagrange’s “method of the undetermined multiplier” can be formulated thus: instead of considering the vanishing of 6F, consider the vanishing of oF + of, (25.10) and drop the auxiliary condition, handling the wz as free, inde- pendent variables. We have OF + dof = (OF +), (25.11) since the term fé\ vanishes on account of the auxiliary condition f = 0. Hence we can express the result of our deductions in an even more striking form. Instead of putting the first variation of F equal to zero, modify the function F to FaF+M, (25.12) = 0. (25.7) 46 Tue CatcuLus OF VARIATIONS and put its first variation equal to zero, for arbitrary variations of the w; We generalize this \-method for the case of an arbitrary number of auxiliary conditions. Let us assume once more that the stationary value of F is sought, but under m independent restricting conditions: Si (ta, tay. ++) ttn) = 0, (m

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