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A tool to build mathematical models for complex mechanical systems in terms of energy.
- It allows us to describe arbitrarily complex mechanical systems, including relative moving parts, accelerated frames, gyroscopic and centrifugal effects without hassle.
- It often allows us to build simple models even for mechanical systems that are normally described by very complex models.
For this chapter we define the generalized coordinates of a mechanical system as a vector of time-varying “coordinates” that must be able to describe the “configuration” of the system at a given time . This is often called Configuration Space.
Sub-topic
Kinetic Energy Lagrange Equation Potential Energy
Dump
Lagrangian Mechanics: How powerful is it?
- Single pendulum would be perfect for Newtonian, however two pendulums are very hard to model with Newtonian. Here we use Lagrangian mechanics.
- Newtonian mechanics uses forces, and Lagrange uses energy.