Recent content by metalnitesh

Hey thanks ! I think that clears everything up

Second: Since the Earth is a a very good approximation to a sphere, the potential energy term will have no dependence on q. Can you write for me the potential energy of a small mass m, a height 'a' above the centre of a planet of mass M? Because the potential in your first post is wrong. The...

I agree that motion on a plane has two degrees of freedom. But here the question uses the term coordinate and not coordinates. Secondly in another version of the same question in a textbook it mentions clearly that write the hamiltonian using either x or q(angle) as the generalised coordinate !

JesseC what do you think about the potential energy term ?

Actually a and b are two separate parts. In fact the angle q depends on x as tan q = x/a so it can't be used as another degree of freedom.

Hey thanks. I was calculating potential wrt ground level and for movements over small distances but i think your idea is probably more applicable here. i'm more doubtful about the kinetic energy term. Since the particle is moving on a plane can we ignore the y(dot)^2 term like i have done ...

Homework Statement A point of mass m is placed on a frictionless plane that is tangent to the Earth’s surface. Determine Hamilton’s equations taking: (a) the distance x (b) the angle q as the generalized coordinate. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Take the...