Classical mechaincs problem (weird one)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ahmes
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Classical
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
2 replies · 2K views
Ahmes
Messages
75
Reaction score
1
Hi,
I've been given a homework question I don't even know what it means:
A particle mass m travels in a one dimensional potential [tex]V=V_0 t g^2 (\alpha r)[/tex]. Find its period.
This is the question exactly as it appears. Now, can t be time? We haven't even touched time-dependent potentials (it's an undergraduate course).
Also, is [tex]g^2[/tex] a function of [tex]\alpha r[/tex]? and what does [tex]\alpha r[/tex] mean? (my guess is distance from the center*constant).

Most of our homework questions are taken (with some variation) from either Goldstein's Mechanics book or the Landau-Lif****z one [COME ON! THE BOOK'S NAME IS LANDAU-LIFSHI&Z (&=T)], but in neither could I locate any question similar to that. Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Well it appears that "tg" is actually the tangent function - Those idiots (can I say idiots?) used italic script so I was certain they ment 't' and 'g' as variables. Beside no one uses "tg" as tangent in printed/electronic media