Related papers: Using an old method of Jacobi to derive Lagrangian…
We present a method devised by Jacobi to derive Lagrangians of any second-order differential equation: it consists in finding a Jacobi Last Multiplier. We illustrate the easiness and the power of Jacobi's method by applying it to several…
In a recent paper by Ibragimov [N. H. Ibragimov, Invariant Lagrangians and a new method of integration of nonlinear equations, J. Math. Anal. Appl. 304 (2005) 212--235] a method was presented in order to find Lagrangians of certain…
We present a new method based on Lie symmetries and Jacobi last multipliers which allows one to find many non-standard Lagrangians for dissipative dynamical systems. In particular, it is demonstrated that for every non-standard Lagrangian…
We show that a method presented in [S.L. Trubatch and A. Franco, Canonical Procedures for Population Dynamics, J. Theor. Biol. 48 (1974), 299-324] and later in [G.H. Paine, The development of Lagrangians for biological models, Bull. Math.…
We demonstrate that the formalism for the calculation of the Jacobi last multiplier for a one-degree-of-freedom system extends naturally to systems of more than one degree of freedom thereby extending results of Whittaker dating from more…
Searching for a Lagrangian may seem either a trivial endeavour or an impossible task. In this paper we show that the Jacobi last multiplier associated with the Lie symmetries admitted by simple models of classical mechanics produces (too?)…
We derive the Lagrangians of the higher-order Painlev\'e equations using Jacobi's last multiplier technique. Some of these higher-order differential equations display certain remarkable properties like passing the Painlev\'e test and…
Z.E. Musielak has reported in 2008 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. {\bf 41} 055205 methods to obtain standard and non-standard Lagrangians and identify classes of equations of motion that admit a Lagrangian description. In this comment we show how…
Constants of motion, Lagrangians and Hamiltonians admitted by a family of relevant nonlinear oscillators are derived using a geometric formalism. The theory of the Jacobi last multiplier allows us to find Lagrangian descriptions and…
The 2-dimensional inverse problem for first-order systems is analysed and a method to construct an affine Lagrangian for such systems is developed. The determination of such Lagrangians is based on the theory of the Jacobi multiplier for…
Mathematical modeling should present a consistent description of physical phenomena. We illustrate an inconsistency with two Hamiltonians -- the standard Hamiltonian and an example found in Goldstein -- for the simple harmonic oscillator…
We study higher--order variational derivatives of a generic second--order Lagrangian ${\cal L}={\cal L}(x,\phi,\partial\phi,\partial^2\phi)$ and in this context we discuss the Jacobi equation ensuing from the second variation of the action.…
We present an old and regretfully forgotten method by Jacobi which allows one to find many Lagrangians of simple classical models and also of nonconservative systems. We underline that the knowledge of Lie symmetries generates Jacobi last…
Recently the Hamilton-Jacobi formulation for first order constrained systems has been developed. In such formalism the equations of motion are written as total differential equations in many variables. We generalize the Hamilton-Jacobi…
We present a direct approach to the construction of Lagrangians for a large class of one-dimensional dynamical systems with a simple dependence (monomial or polynomial) on the velocity. We rederive and generalize some recent results and…
An equation is obtained to find the Lagrangian for a one-dimensional autonomous system. The continuity of the first derivative of its constant of motion is assumed. This equation is solved for a generic nonconservative autonomous system…
We show that given an ordinary differential equation of order four, it may be possible to determine a Lagrangian if the third derivative is absent (or eliminated) from the equation. This represents a subcase of Fels'conditions [M. E. Fels,…
We present a discretization of the Jacobi last multiplier, with some applications to the computation of solutions of difference equations.
We show that $\lambda$-symmetries can be algorithmically obtained by using the Jacobi last multiplier. Several examples are provided.
A variational principle is proposed for obtaining the Jacobi equations in systems admitting a Lagrangian description. The variational principle gives simultaneously the Lagrange equations of motion and the Jacobi variational equations for…