Talk:PlanetPhysics/Lagrange's Equations

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%%% This file is part of PlanetPhysics snapshot of 2011-09-01 %%% Primary Title: Lagrange's equations %%% Primary Category Code: 45.20.Jj %%% Filename: LagrangesEquations.tex %%% Version: 7 %%% Owner: bloftin %%% Author(s): bloftin %%% PlanetPhysics is released under the GNU Free Documentation License. %%% You should have received a file called fdl.txt along with this file. %%% If not, please write to gnu@gnu.org. \documentclass[12pt]{article} \pagestyle{empty} \setlength{\paperwidth}{8.5in} \setlength{\paperheight}{11in}

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There are certain general principles or \htmladdnormallink{theorems}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/Formula.html} in \htmladdnormallink{mechanics}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/Mechanics.html}, such as Lagrange's equations, \htmladdnormallink{Hamilton's principle}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/HamiltonsPrinciple.html}, the principle of least \htmladdnormallink{work}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/Work.html}, and Gauss' principle of least constraint, which afford general solutions of certain \htmladdnormallink{types}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/Bijective.html} of problems. Such general principles have therefore the advantage over ordinary methods in that once having found the general solution, any particular problem may be solved by merely routine processes.

The general form of Lagrange's equation for the \htmladdnormallink{generalized coordinates}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/CommutativeRingWithUnit.html} $q_i$ is given as

\begin{equation} Q_i = \frac{d}{dt} \left ( \frac{ \partial T}{\partial \dot{q_i}} \right ) - \frac{\partial T}{\partial q_i} \end{equation}

where $T$ is the \htmladdnormallink{kinetic energy}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/KineticEnergy.html} and $Q_i$ are the generalized forces which is related to the \htmladdnormallink{system}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/SimilarityAndAnalogousSystemsDynamicAdjointnessAndTopologicalEquivalence.html} forces through

$$ Q_i = f_j \frac{\partial x_j}{\partial q_i} $$

The more common form, used when the forces for the \htmladdnormallink{dynamical system}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/ContinuousGroupoidHomomorphism.html} can be found from a \htmladdnormallink{scalar}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/Vectors.html} potential \htmladdnormallink{function}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/Bijective.html} $V$, is

\begin{equation} \frac{d}{dt} \left ( \frac{\partial L}{\partial \dot{q_i}} \right ) - \frac{\partial L}{\partial q_i} = 0 \end{equation}

where $L$, the Lagrangian function (or, simply, Lagrangian), is the difference between the kinetic and potential \htmladdnormallink{energy}{http://planetphysics.us/encyclopedia/CosmologicalConstant2.html} $$L = T - V$$

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