A methodology for formulating dynamical equations in analytical mechanics based on the principle of energy conservation

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zhou, Yinqiu, Wang, Xiuming
Format: Preprint
Published: 2021
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author Zhou, Yinqiu
Wang, Xiuming
author_facet Zhou, Yinqiu
Wang, Xiuming
contents In this work, a methodology is proposed for formulating general dynamical equations in mechanics under the umbrella of the principle of energy conservation. It is shown that Lagrange's equation, Hamilton's canonical equations, and Hamilton-Jacobi's equation are all formulated based on the principle of energy conservation with a simple energy conservation equation, i.e., the rate of kinetic and potential energy with time is equal to the rate of work with time done by external forces; while D'Alembert's principle is a special case of the law of the conservation of energy, with either the virtual displacements ('frozen' time) or the virtual displacement ('frozen' generalized coordinates). It is argued that all of the formulations for characterizing the dynamical behaviors of a system can be derived from the principle of energy conservation, and the principle of energy conservation is an underlying guide for constructing mechanics in a broad sense. The proposed methodology provides an efficient way to tackle the dynamical problems in general mechanics, including dissipation continuum systems, especially for those with multi-physical field interactions and couplings. It is pointed out that, on the contrary to the classical analytical mechanics, especially to existing Hamiltonian mechanics, the physics essences of Hamilton's variational principle, Lagrange's equation, and the Newtonian second law of motion, including their derivatives such as momentum and angular momentum conservations, are the consequences of the law of conservation of energy. In addition, our proposed methodology is easier to understand with clear physical meanings and can be used for explaining the existing mechanical principles or theorems. Finally, as an application example, the methodology is applied in fluid mechanics to derive Cauchy's first law of motion.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2107_13982
institution arXiv
publishDate 2021
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A methodology for formulating dynamical equations in analytical mechanics based on the principle of energy conservation
Zhou, Yinqiu
Wang, Xiuming
Classical Physics
In this work, a methodology is proposed for formulating general dynamical equations in mechanics under the umbrella of the principle of energy conservation. It is shown that Lagrange's equation, Hamilton's canonical equations, and Hamilton-Jacobi's equation are all formulated based on the principle of energy conservation with a simple energy conservation equation, i.e., the rate of kinetic and potential energy with time is equal to the rate of work with time done by external forces; while D'Alembert's principle is a special case of the law of the conservation of energy, with either the virtual displacements ('frozen' time) or the virtual displacement ('frozen' generalized coordinates). It is argued that all of the formulations for characterizing the dynamical behaviors of a system can be derived from the principle of energy conservation, and the principle of energy conservation is an underlying guide for constructing mechanics in a broad sense. The proposed methodology provides an efficient way to tackle the dynamical problems in general mechanics, including dissipation continuum systems, especially for those with multi-physical field interactions and couplings. It is pointed out that, on the contrary to the classical analytical mechanics, especially to existing Hamiltonian mechanics, the physics essences of Hamilton's variational principle, Lagrange's equation, and the Newtonian second law of motion, including their derivatives such as momentum and angular momentum conservations, are the consequences of the law of conservation of energy. In addition, our proposed methodology is easier to understand with clear physical meanings and can be used for explaining the existing mechanical principles or theorems. Finally, as an application example, the methodology is applied in fluid mechanics to derive Cauchy's first law of motion.
title A methodology for formulating dynamical equations in analytical mechanics based on the principle of energy conservation
topic Classical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.13982