Related papers: On non-holonomic systems and variational principle…
Is it allowed, in the context of the Lagrange multiplier formalism, to assume that nonholonomic constraints are already in effect while setting up Lagrange's function? This procedure is successfully applied in a recent book [L. N. Hand and…
We reconsider the variational integration of optimal control problems for mechanical systems based on a direct discretization of the Lagrange-d'Alembert principle. This approach yields discrete dynamical constraints which by construction…
We first present a way to formulate the equations of motion for a nonholonomic system with nonlinear constraints with respect to the velocities. The formulation is based on the Cetaev condition which aims to extend the practical method of…
We prove that autoparallel curves associated with a torsion-free but not necessarily metric-compatible affine connection can be derived from an action principle. We explicitly construct the action functional and show by standard variational…
The main topic of this work concerns the formulation of the equations of motion and the consequent energy balance that they imply for this type of systems, In particular, the analytical development that we will carry out on the equations of…
In a series of previous articles by the author, it was shown that one could effectively give a variational formulation to non-conservative mechanical systems, as well as ones that subject to non-holonomic constraints by starting with the…
The problem of constant-speed ballistics is studied under the umbrella of non-linear non-holonomic constrained systems. The Newtonian approach is shown to be equivalent to the use of Chetaev's rule to incorporate the constraint within the…
Hamilton's principle of stationary action lies at the foundation of theoretical physics and is applied in many other disciplines from pure mathematics to economics. Despite its utility, Hamilton's principle has a subtle pitfall that often…
In this paper we use an affine connection formulation to study an optimal control problem for a class of nonholonomic, under-actuated mechanical systems. In particular, we aim at minimizing the norm-squared of the control input to move the…
We introduce a variational method for approximating distribution functions of dynamics with a ``Liouville operator'' $\hL,$ in terms of a {\em nonequilibrium action functional} for two independent (left and right) trial states. The method…
Lagrangian mechanics uses d'Alembert's principle of zero virtual work as an important starting point. The orthogonality of the force of constraint and virtual displacement is emphasized in literature, without a clear warning that this is…
I explain the geometric basis for the recently-discovered nonholonomic mapping principle which permits deriving laws of nature in spacetimes with curvature and torsion from those in flat spacetime, thus replacing and extending Einstein's…
We introduce a method which allows one to recover the equations of motion of a class of nonholonomic systems by finding instead an unconstrained Hamiltonian system on the full phase space, and to restrict the resulting canonical equations…
The equations of motion of a mechanical system subjected to nonholonomic linear constraints can be formulated in terms of a linear almost Poisson structure in a vector bundle. We study the existence of invariant measures for the system in…
Cracks in beams and shallow arches are modeled by massless rotational springs. First, we introduce a specially designed linear operator that "absorbs" the boundary conditions at the cracks. Then the equations of motion are derived from the…
Following the formalism of Gell-Mann and Hartle, phenomenological equations of motion are derived from the decoherence functional formalism of quantum mechanics, using a path-integral description. This is done explicitly for the case of a…
Violation of the action-reaction principle is shown to occur in the van der Waals interaction between two atoms, one of which is excited. It is accompanied by the transfer of linear momentum to the electromagnetic vacuum. The vacuum…
A nonholonomic system consists of a configuration space Q, a Lagrangian L, and an nonintegrable constraint distribution H, with dynamics governed by Lagrange-d'Alembert's principle. We present two studies both using adapted moving frames.…
A least action principle for damping motion has been previously proposed with a Hamiltonian and a Lagrangian containing the energy dissipated by friction. Due to the space-time nonlocality of the Lagrangian, mathematical uncertainties…
The minimal work principle asserts that work done on a thermally isolated equilibrium system, is minimal for the slowest (adiabatic) realization of a given process. This principle, one of the formulations of the second law, is operationally…