Is it possible to define a conservative system as one whose potential energy is a function of only position coordinates (q), and a nonconservative system as one whose potential energy is a function of position coordinates (q) and time (t), that is,
V=V(q) for conservative & V=V(q,t) for...
Could you please address the following?
(1) For a conservative system, total energy (E = KE + PE) is a constant. It does not depend on time. Is it because of this time-independent nature that E is a constant of motion?
(2) For a conservative system, the PE is a function of position...