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0 votes
3 answers
80 views

Question regarding gravitational force as external force

So, I was watching a lecture on YouTube for problems on conservation of energy and momentum and I don't quite understand this: In this question, mass $M$ is released from the peak of the smooth ...
Hrishikesh Pandey's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
58 views

Question about Problem $12$ in Chapter $11$ from Kibble & Berkshire's book

I write again the problem for convinience: A rigid rod of length $2a$ is suspended by two light, inextensible strings of length $l$ joining its ends to supports also a distance $2a$ apart and level ...
panos Physics's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
164 views

Why is there a *minimum* energy for a particle to be captured in a $r^{-3}$ potential?

I was stuck in a central force problem from David Morin's Book "Introduction to Classical Mechanics". The problem states that suppose there is a particle of mass $m$ moving under the ...
Bapi Basak's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
65 views

Position equation of $U(x)=-U_1[(\frac{x}{x_1})^3-(\frac{x}{x_1})^2 ]$

If $U(x)$ is given by $$U(x)=-U_1\left[\left(\frac{x}{x_1}\right)^3-\left(\frac{x}{x_1}\right)^2 \right]$$ can I find the position equation without harmonic aproximation? I'm having problem with the ...
ends7's user avatar
  • 139
0 votes
2 answers
195 views

Marble "rolling" on the graph of a function

Consider a guide for marbles whose profile locally coincides with a function $f(x)$, for example $f (x) = - \frac{1}{2} x ^ 4 + x ^ 3 + x ^ 2-2x + 1.$ Suppose that the reference system is chosen in ...
tomino's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote
0 answers
50 views

Potentials that prevent the phase flow of the system [closed]

I am trying to solve a question that my professor gave. When a particle moves in one dimension $x$ in a potential $U(x)$ , the resulting motion over a very short time interval is specified by Newton’...
Dinken's user avatar
  • 9
0 votes
1 answer
332 views

Doubt from Arnold; Mathematical methods of classical mechanics (page 20)

I am trying to do a problem from Arnold; Mathematical methods of Classical mechanics. But I didn't get the desired result mentioned by the author. Let $E_0$ be the value of the potential function at ...
Quantum Man's user avatar
13 votes
5 answers
4k views

Why does the incline angle not affect how high a launched object will slide up a frictionless ramp?

I am seeing a problem with the solution given in this book. How did the height of the box have nothing to do with the incline of the ramp? Intuitively it would seem the higher the incline the higher ...
Chris Christopherson's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
71 views

Verifying the equation of motion, expressions of kinetic energy and potential energy and how to examine whether motion confined to a plane or not [closed]

A particle is moving in space such that it is attracted towards a fixed point and is proportional to the distance from the fixed point. Derive the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian of the system. Examine ...
Esha's user avatar
  • 111
3 votes
1 answer
537 views

Doubt in the expression of Lagrangian of a system [duplicate]

There is a problem given in Goldstein's Classical Mechanics Chapter-1 as 20. A particle of mass $\,m\,$ moves in one dimension such that it has the Lagrangian \begin{equation} L\boldsymbol{=}\...
Iti's user avatar
  • 436
0 votes
1 answer
178 views

Goldstein equation 1.33

I am trying to read from Goldstein for self-study but I am stuck on equation 1.33. Let me restate some of the lines from Goldstein (with some modification): If $\textbf{F}_{ij}$ (internal force, ...
SpeedForce's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
824 views

Work done for conservative forces is path independent Proof

So I’m looking at the proof for work that is path independent. There is a line were the integral Partial derivative V dr from r1 to r2 becomes Partial derivative V r’ dt from t1 to t2 I’m a bit ...
Balkaran Mali's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
40 views

Motion near the local maximum of potential energy

Particle is moving along the $x$ axis in the field with potential energy $U(x)$. $U(x) $has local maximum at $x=0$, and the total energy of particle is equal to $E=U(0)$. I'm supposed to find how the ...
D_mathematician's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
263 views

Taylor Example 4.8. Is my reasoning sound? [closed]

This problem has been giving me all sorts of fits. For one, Taylor states that because the frictional force and normal force are forces of constraint, they produce no work. I'm trying to figure out ...
FieldOfDreams's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
148 views

Particle in a cylinder with a spring, sign convention in potential energy (Lagrangian multipliers)

I'm trying to get the force of constraint. The problem I have is when defying the sign of the potential energy using cylindrical coordinates $(\rho,\phi,z)$, what I have is: $$ V=mgy-\frac{1}{2}k\left(...
James's user avatar
  • 7
0 votes
1 answer
569 views

Potential energy of a mass bewteen two springs with pendulum hanging [closed]

I need some help with this problem. A particle of mass $m_1$ hangs from a rod of negligible mass and length $l$, whose support point consists of another particle of mass $m_2$ that moves horizontally ...
davidllerenav's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
130 views

Finding total mechanical energy, given the potential [closed]

The average kinetic energy of a particle in a potential of the form '$V(x, y)=x^{4}+4 x^{2} y^{2}+4 x^{3} y-2 y^{4}$' is equal to $T$. How can we find the total energy of the particle? My attempt: I ...
Kashmiri's user avatar
  • 1,270
0 votes
1 answer
188 views

Elastic potential energy during elastic collisions

While working with problems on elastic collisions, I have come across this observation, that the elastic potential energy of a two-body system is the maximum when the relative velocity equals zero. In ...
Ambica Govind's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
150 views

Falling Chain help! [closed]

I was going through Example 9.2 in Thornton and Marion's Classical Dynamics, and I am stuck on the Potential Energy part of the Question. How do they get the term at the top of the page on the right? ...
SolarPistachio's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
380 views

Why is the work done by a block into a spring the same from the work done by the spring on the block?

In the following situation: A 700 g block is released from rest at height h 0 above a vertical spring with spring constant k = 400 N/m and negligible mass. The block sticks to the spring and ...
Jon's user avatar
  • 493
0 votes
2 answers
815 views

The Theoretical Minimum: Lecture 5, Exercise 3. Finding equations of motion from potential energy [closed]

From Leonard Susskind's book The Theoretical Minimum. "A particle in two dimensions, x and y, has mass m equal in both directions. It moves in a potential energy $V = \frac{k}{2(x^2+y^2)}$. Work ...
Owl's user avatar
  • 141
0 votes
1 answer
42 views

Change in potential energy after infinitesimal variation in position

The a particle with the potential $V(x^2+y^2)$ undergoes an active transformation where $x\rightarrow x+y\delta$ $y\rightarrow y-x\delta$ The exercise was to prove that the Lagrangian of the system ...
Sceptual's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Bertrand's theorem and nearly-circular motion in a Yukawa potential

The question has arisen as a result of working on part b of problem 3.19 in Goldstein's Classical Mechanics book. A particle moves in a force field described by the Yukawa potential $$ V(r) = -\frac{...
Lopey Tall's user avatar
  • 1,031
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Force derived from Yukawa potential

This is with regards to problem 3.19 from Goldstein's Classical Mechanics, A particle moves in a force field described by the Yukowa potential $$ V(r) = -\frac{k}{r} e^{-\frac{r}{a}}, $$ where $k$ ...
Lopey Tall's user avatar
  • 1,031
0 votes
1 answer
106 views

Feynman Lectures, Chapter 4, Fig 4-3

From the Feynman lectures Chapter 4, Fig 4-3 "We lifted the one-pound weight only three feet and we lowered W pounds by five feet. Therefore W=3/5 of a pound." If there is a change of 3ft in ...
RandomUser's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Change in Energy when placing an object on the ground

It seems like a simple question but I was wondering where does the energy go when I place an object from a height on the floor. Initially it's all stored as potential energy, and as I'm moving the ...
bobsburger's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
383 views

Weight and potential energy for a spring pendulum

Consider a spring pendulum like in this figure suppose the spring is arranged to lie in a straight line and its equilibrium lenght is $l$. Consider the unit vectors $e_1, e_2$, $e_x, e_{\theta}$ like ...
user's user avatar
  • 145
0 votes
2 answers
783 views

Classical period of Morse potential [closed]

A particle of mass $m$ and energy $E<0$ moves in a one-dimensional Morse potential: $$V(x)=V_0(e^{-2ax}-2e^{-ax}),\qquad V_0,a>0,\qquad E>-V_0.$$ From the only other question I have ...
Frost Ravenstorm's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
78 views

Approximating the time it takes for a particle with a potential $-Ax^4$ to approach the origin [closed]

Here's the problem I'm solving: A particle of mass $m$ can only move along the $x$-axis and is subject to an interaction described by the potential energy function $U\left(x\right) = -Ax^4$, where $A ...
user avatar
0 votes
4 answers
102 views

Potential Energy of Conservative Forces [closed]

For a conservative force, its associated potential energy at position $\mathbf{r}$ is $$U(\mathbf{r}) = - \int_{\mathbf{r}_{0}}^{\mathbf{r}} \mathbf{F}(\mathbf{r'}) \cdot \text{d} \mathbf{r'}$$ ...
Mark's user avatar
  • 1

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