Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

Department of Physics
PH201/Advanced Classical Mechanics/2016-17/Tutorial-1/AKSharma
Due date: 08.08.16
1.

A string of length l1 passes over a light fixed pulley, supporting a mass m1 on one end and a
pulley of mass m2 (negligible moment of inertia) on the other. Over this second pulley passes
a string of length l2 supporting a mass m3 on one end and m4 on the other, where m3 m4. Set
up Lagranges equation of motion for this system. Show that the mass m1 remains in
equilibrium if
( m m3 ) 2
m1 = m2 + m3 + m4 4
.
m3 + m4

2.

Obtain the Lagrangian and the angular frequencies of small

oscillations for the system. The string is inextensible and
massless. g is the acceleration due to gravity.

3.

A bead of mass m slides without friction on a rotating wire hoop

of radius R whose axis of rotation is through vertical diameter as
shown in the figure. The hoop rotates with a constant angular
velocity . Obtain the Lagrangian and hence the equation of
motion. Locate the positions of equilibrium of the bead. g is the
acceleration due to gravity.

4.

A smooth horizontal wire hoop is forced to rotate at a fixed angular

velocity about a vertical axis through the point A. A bead of mass
m is threaded on the hoop and is free to move around it, with its
position specified by the angle that it makes at the center with the
diameter AB. Find the Lagrangian and the equation of motion for
this system using as the generalized coordinate.

5.

If L is a Lagrangian for a system of n degrees of freedom satisfying Lagranges equations,

dF (q1 ,..., q n , t )
show by direct substitution that L = L +
also satisfies Lagranges equations
dt
where F is any arbitrary, but differentiable, function of its arguments.