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1 vote
1 answer
56 views

Conditions for a force to be conservative - Does the second condition imply the first? [duplicate]

John Taylor's Classical Mechanics says this... I was wondering if the second condition already implies the first? I mean, are there situations where the first condition is violated even though the ...
user266637's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
102 views

How can work be a function of position when non-conservative forces don't act the same way at each point?

My textbook and wiki/online articles all claim that work is given by the integral $$W=\int_\gamma\vec{F}\boldsymbol{\cdot}\text{d}\vec{s}$$ where the $\text{d}\vec{s}$ is some infinitesimal step along ...
Max0815's user avatar
  • 179
0 votes
1 answer
76 views

${}$Conservative and Non-Conservative Forces

For work done by conservative forces ($W = F.S$), we consider $S$ as the displacement and not the actual path travelled. However for non conservative forces we consider the total path length and not ...
nerdygeek's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
929 views

Proving if a force is conservative and non-conservative

recently I have studied conservative forces and non-conservative forces in halliday book and while doing some exercise I saw some questions asking for proving if a force is conservative so after doing ...
infinite's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
376 views

Why is $f = -\frac{du}{dx}$?

I am studying Newtonian Mechanics and I am familiar with single variable calculus. I came across the concept of conservative and non conservative forces and potential energy. Here is what I understand:...
Srinidhi kabra's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
852 views

Relationship between conservative and non-conservative forces with internal and external forces

Are there any kinds of relationship betweeen conservative and non-conservative forces with internal and external forces? If yes,please explain in detail.
Newton Hofsteider's user avatar
20 votes
3 answers
4k views

Conditions for a force to be conservative

Taylor's classical mechanics ,chapter 4, states: A force is conservative,if and only if it satisfies two conditions: $\vec{F}$ is a function of only the position. i.e $\vec{F}=\vec{F}(\vec{r})$. The ...
satan 29's user avatar
  • 1,295
2 votes
3 answers
668 views

Why can a force field only be conservative if it is spherically symmetric?

I saw in my textbook that a field can only be conservative if it happens to be spherically symmetric. Why is this so? Is there a good proof for this?
user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
1k views

All central forces are conservative forces, but are all conservative forces central forces?

I have just been introduced to the concept of central forces, and to the fact that they are per definition conservative forces. I have looked up several examples of central forces (gravity, electric, ...
Pregunto's user avatar
  • 559
4 votes
1 answer
139 views

Conservative force definition [duplicate]

Classical Mechanics, by John Taylor defines a conservative force $F$ as a force that satisfies: $F$ depends only on the particle's position and no other variables. Work done by $F$ is the same for ...
dkv's user avatar
  • 163
5 votes
1 answer
352 views

Understanding conservative forces

I'm trying to better understand conservative forces. I have a decent intuitive idea of what they are, but I've recently learned the mathematical rigor behind it which has made me have some questions. ...
sangstar's user avatar
  • 3,200
0 votes
2 answers
113 views

A More General Potential Energy

It occurred to me this morning that the notion of work and of spatial potential energy can be generalized to a more abstract form. In particular, work can be defined in terms of an abstract force ...
theideasmith's user avatar