Lecture 6: Exercise 4

Explanation
Here we are practicing deriving the Lagrangian.

Hint
The process is to derive the Lagrangian for given conditions:
1. Determine the coordinates.
2. Calculate the generalized velocities.
3. Calculate the kinetic energy.
4. Calculate the potential energy.
5. Calculate the Lagrangian.
6. Determine the equations of motion by applying the Euler-Lagrange equation.

Answer
We begin be writing coordinates
2 l6e4.cdf

X = R cos Θ, Y = R sin Θ
assuming Θ = ΘHtL, the velocities are now
× × × × × ×
X = R cos Θ - R Θ sin Θ, Y = R sin Θ + R Θ cos Θ
1
Since T = 2
m v2 , where we can use Pythagoras’ theorem

v2 = X + Y = JR cos Θ - R Θ sin ΘN + JR sin Θ + R Θ cos ΘN

×2 ×2 × × 2 × × 2

= Θ R2 sin2 HΘL - 2 Θ R R sinHΘL cosHΘL + R cos2 HΘL + Θ R2 cos2 HΘL - 2 Θ R R sinHΘL cosHΘL + R sin2 HΘL
×2 × × ×2 ×2 × × ×2

= Θ AR2 sin2 HΘL + R2 cos2 HΘLE - 2 Θ BR R sinHΘL cosHΘL - R R sinHΘL cosHΘLF + R Acos2 HΘL + sin2 HΘLE
×2 × × × ×2

= Θ 9R2 Asin2 HΘL + cos2 HΘLE= + R

×2 ×2

×2 ×2
= Θ R2 + R
The kinetic energy is then

m KΘ R2 + R O
1 1 ×2 ×2
T= m v2 =
2 2
Since we have a potential in polar coordinates, it is only dependent on the distance from the center, V = V HRL, so this gives us the Lagrangian

m KΘ R2 + R O + V HRL
1 ×2 ×2
L=
2
Since we are in polar coordinates HR, ΘL, we take the partial derivatives
¶L ×2 ¶V ×2
=mΘ R + =mΘ R - F
¶R ¶R
and
¶L
=0
¶Θ
We also take the partial derivatives
¶L ×
×
=mR
¶R
and
¶L ×
×
= m Θ R2
¶Θ
so
d ¶L ××
×
=mR
d t ¶R
and
d ¶L ××
×
= m R2 Θ
d t ¶Θ
We can then write Lagrange’s equations

d ¶L ¶L
×
=
d t ¶X ¶ Xi
i

as
 l6e4.cdf 3

Þ m R = m Θ R - F Þ F = m KR - Θ RO
d ¶L ¶L ×× ×2 ×× ×2
×
=
d t ¶R ¶R

d ¶L ¶L ××
×
= Þ m R2 Θ = 0
d t ¶Θ ¶Θ