MHB What are Lagrange's equations of motion for a pendulum suspended by a spring?

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    2015
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Lagrange's equations of motion for a pendulum suspended by a spring involve applying the principles of Lagrangian mechanics to a system defined by a mass m, a spring with unextended length b, and spring constant k. The discussion centers on deriving these equations based on the kinetic and potential energy of the system. The correct solution was provided by a participant, logan3, who successfully applied the relevant equations. The thread encourages participants to follow the guidelines for problem-solving and to engage with the community for further discussion. Overall, the focus is on understanding the dynamics of a spring-pendulum system through Lagrangian mechanics.
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Here is this week's POTW:

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A pendulum consists of a mass $m$ suspended by a spring with negligible mass with unextended length $b$ and spring constant $k$. Find Lagrange's equations of motion.

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Remember to read the http://www.mathhelpboards.com/showthread.php?772-Problem-of-the-Week-%28POTW%29-Procedure-and-Guidelines to find out how to http://www.mathhelpboards.com/forms.php?do=form&fid=2!
 
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Congratulations to logan3 for correctly solving this week's POTW! The solution follows:

SOLUTION
m = mass
k = spring constant
θ = angular displacement of spring pendulum from rest position
b = unextended length of spring pendulum
x = extended length of spring pendulum

$F_{mass} = mg\cos(\theta) - k(x - b) = ma_{mass} = m(\ddot x - x \dot \theta^2) \Rightarrow m \ddot x - mx \dot \theta^2 - mg\cos(\theta) + k(x - b) = 0$

$F_{\theta} = -mg\sin(\theta) = ma_{\theta} = m(x \ddot \theta + 2 \dot x \dot \theta) \Rightarrow x \ddot \theta + 2 \dot x \dot \theta + g\sin(\theta) = 0$

or

$T = KE = \frac {1} {2} m (\ddot x^2 + x^2 \dot \theta^2)$
$U = PE = -mgx\cos(\theta) + \frac {1} {2} k(x - b)^2$

Lagrangian $(L) = T - U = \frac {1}{2} m (\ddot x^2 + x^2 \dot \theta^2) + mgx\cos(\theta) - \frac {1}{2} k(x - b)^2$

Euler-Lagrangian for x:
$\frac {\partial L}{\partial x} = mx \dot \theta^2 + mg\cos(\theta) - k(x - b)$
$\frac {d}{dt} \frac {\partial L}{\partial \dot x} = m \ddot x$

$\frac {d}{dt} \frac {\partial L}{\partial \dot x} - \frac {\partial L}{\partial x} = m \ddot x - mx \dot \theta^2 - mg\cos(\theta) + k(x - b) = 0$

Euler-Lagrangian for θ:
$\frac {\partial L}{\partial \theta} = -mgx\sin(\theta)$
$\frac {d}{dt} \frac {\partial L}{\partial \dot \theta} = m x^2 \ddot \theta + 2mx \dot x \dot \theta$

$\frac {d}{dt} \frac {\partial L}{\partial \dot \theta} - \frac {\partial L}{\partial \theta} = x \ddot \theta + 2 \dot x \dot \theta + g\sin(\theta) = 0$
 

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