Jon Herman, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
“Mechanics on Riemannian Manifolds”
We will first show how to set up Lagrangian mechanics using a symplectic framework. Analogous to the Hamitlonian vector field, we will obtain a Lagrangian vector field whose integral curves will be motions. We’ll find the equations for these motions under both the presence and absence of a potential and also give a proof of Jacobi’s theorem. Lastly, we will look at constrained systems and give a proof of the d’Alembert principle.
MC 5501