Home work set IV for Phy 401A: Classical Mechanics I

Date: 21st October, 2019

Instructor: Kaushik Bhattacharya1
Office: FB-387, Phone: 7306

1. The Lagrangian of a system can be written as

ẏ q
L = aẋ2 + b + cẋẏ + f y 2 ẋż + g ẏ − k x2 + y 2 ,
x
where a , b , c , f , g and k are constants. What is the Hamiltonian? What quantities are
conserved?

2. A dynamical system has the Lagrangian

q̇22
L = q̇12 + + k1 q12 + k2 q̇1 q̇2 ,
a + bq12
where a , b , k1 and k2 are constants. Find the equations of motion in the Hamiltonian
formulation.

3. For a one dimensional system with the Hamiltonian

p2 1
H= − 2,
2 2q

(a) show that there is a constant of motion

pq
D= − Ht .
2

(b) Suppose the motion in a plane of a particle is dictated by the Hamiltonian

H = |p|n − ar−n ,

where p is the vector of the momenta conjugate to the Cartesian coordinates (and
|p| is the magnitude of the vector) and n is some real number. Show that there is a
constant of motion
p·r
D= − Ht .
n
4. Show directly that the transformation,
!
sin p
Q = ln , P = q cot p ,
q

is canonical. It is assumed that a suitable constant is multiplying p such that sin p and
cot p are well defined.
1
Email: kaushikb@iitk.ac.in

1
5. Show directly that for a system of one degree of freedom,
!
αq αq 2 p2
Q = tan −1
, P = 1+ 2 2 ,
p 2 α q

is canonical, where α is a constant.

6. Find directly that the transformation

Q1 = q1 , P1 = p1 − 2p2 ,
Q2 = p 2 , P2 = −2q1 − q2 ,

and find a generating function.

7. A system of two degrees of freedom is described by the Hamiltonian

H = q1 p1 − q2 p2 − aq12 + bq22 ,

where a , b are constants. Show that

p1 − aq1
F1 = , and F2 = q1 q2 ,
q2
are constants of motion.