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D-Alembert Principle and Lagrange's Equations

This document provides an overview of D'Alembert's principle and Lagrange's equations in classical mechanics. It defines a virtual displacement as an infinitesimal change in a system's configuration consistent with imposed forces and constraints. D'Alembert's principle states that the total applied force minus the inertial force equals the total force of constraints for any virtual displacement. This principle can be used to derive Lagrange's equations, which relate the generalized forces on a system to derivatives of its kinetic and potential energies with respect to generalized coordinates.

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Shakeel Ahmad Kasuri
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413 views

D-Alembert Principle and Lagrange's Equations

This document provides an overview of D'Alembert's principle and Lagrange's equations in classical mechanics. It defines a virtual displacement as an infinitesimal change in a system's configuration consistent with imposed forces and constraints. D'Alembert's principle states that the total applied force minus the inertial force equals the total force of constraints for any virtual displacement. This principle can be used to derive Lagrange's equations, which relate the generalized forces on a system to derivatives of its kinetic and potential energies with respect to generalized coordinates.

Uploaded by

Shakeel Ahmad Kasuri
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lectures on

Classical Mechanics (Goldstein-3rd Ed.)


By
G. HASNAIN TARIQ
Department of Physics, KFUEIT, Rahim Yar Khan
Survey of the elementary principles
D’ALEMBERT’S PRINCIPLE AND LAGRANGE’S EQUATIONS
A virtual (infinitesimal) displacement of a system refers to a change in the configuration of the systems as the result
of any arbitrary infinitesimal change of the coordinates δri, consistent with the forces and constraints imposed on the
system at the given instant t. The displacement is called virtual to distinguish it from an actual displacement of the system
occurring in a time interval dt, during which the forces and constraints may be changing.

Suppose a system in equilibrium; i.e. the total force on each particle vanishes, Fi = 0. Then virtual work of force, Fi . δ ri = 0
The sum of these vanishing products over all particles must likewise be zero,
σ Fi . δ ri = 0 ………………………… (1)
Decompose Fi into the applied force, Fi(a) and the force of constraints, fi, Fi = Fi(a) +……………….
fi (2)
So, Eq. (1) becomes;
σ Fi(a). δ ri + σ fi . δ ri = 0 ………………………. (3)

For rigid bodies like a particle is constrained to move on a surface, the force of constraints is perpendicular to the surface,
while virtual displacement will be tangent to it, hence virtual work will vanish, and from eq. (3);
σ Fi(a). δ ri = 0 ……………………… (4) (Principle of virtual work)
This eq. satisfies the needs in that it does not contain the fi, but it deals only with static, we want condition involving the motion of the system.
To obtain such a principle, use equation of motion,
Fi = 𝐩ሶ𝑖 , Fi - 𝐩ሶ𝑖 = 0, So the particles in the system will be in equilibrium under a force equal to the actual
force (Fi ) plus a “reversed effective force” (- 𝐩ሶ𝑖 ). We can write eq.1 as;
σ (Fi − 𝐩𝑖ሶ ) . δri = 0 ………………………… (5)
Decompose Fi into the applied force, Fi(a) and the force of constraints, fi, then;

σ𝑖 𝐅𝑖(𝑎) − 𝐩ሶ 𝑖 . δri + σ𝑖 fi . δ ri= 0

Restrict to systems for which have virtual work of forces of constraints vanishes, we have;
σ𝑖 𝐅𝑖(𝑎) − 𝐩ሶ 𝑖 . δri = 0 ……………….. (6) D’Alembert’s principle.

Introduce generalized coordinates, which are independent each other (for holonomic constraints), so that the coefficients of
δqi can be set separately equal to zero. Using transformation equation,
ri = ri (q1, q2, q3, q4, …………..qn, t) …………………………… (7) (n independent coordinates)
Differentiate using chain rule,
𝑑𝒓𝑖 𝜕𝒓 𝜕𝒓𝑖
vi = 𝑑𝑡
= σ𝑘 𝜕𝑞 𝑖 𝑞ሶ 𝑘+ 𝜕𝑡
……………………… (8)
𝑘
𝜕𝒓
Similarly, the arbitrary virtual displacement δri can be connected with virtual displacements δqj by, δri = σ𝑗
𝑖
δ𝑞𝑗 …....(9)
𝜕𝑞𝑗
No variation of time, δt, is involved here. since a virtual displacement by definition considers only displacements of
the coordinates.
In terms of the generalized coordinates, the virtual work of the Fi becomes;
𝜕𝒓𝒋
σ𝑖 Fi . δ ri = σ𝑖,𝑗 Fi . 𝜕𝑞𝑗 δ𝑞𝑗 = σ𝑗 Qj δqj …………………………… (10),

𝜕𝒓𝒋
Qj are called the components of the generalized force, which is; Qj = σ𝑖 Fi . ………………………… (11)
𝜕𝑞𝑗

(6)

(9)
(12)

(12)
(8)

(8) (8)

(13)
(12)

(6)

(6)

(14)
…………………………………….

(14)

(15)

(16)
(15)

(17)

(15)

(18)
(15)

(19)

(17)

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