Adapting the Euler-Lagrange equation to study one-dimensional motions under the action of a constant force
Abstract
The Euler-Lagrange equations (EL) are very important in the theoretical description of several physical systems. In this work we have used a simplified form of EL to study one-dimensional motions under the action of a constant force. From using the definition of partial derivative, we have proposed two operators, here called \textit{mean delta operators}, which may be used to solve the EL in a simplest way. We have applied this simplification to solve three simple mechanical problems under the action of the gravitational field: a free fall body, the Atwood's machine and the inclined plan. The proposed simplification can be used to introducing the lagrangian formalism to teach classical mechanics in introductory physics courses.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1209.2197,
title = {Adapting the Euler-Lagrange equation to study one-dimensional motions under the action of a constant force},
author = {Clenilda F Dias and Vagson L Carvalho-Santos},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1209.2197},
year = {2017}
}
Comments
10 pages, 2 figures