Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-classical-mechanics-course-of-part-b-of-the-physics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016/2/a/solution
Past exam of the classical mechanics course of Part B of the physics course of the University of Oxford 2016 2 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Assume positive, pairwise distinct masses and generic nonzero . Let , and similarly for . The three uncoupled oscillators each conserveUniform translation of all conserves . The interaction permits their common translation, while is entirely free, giving two independent momenta and . The interacting subsystem is autonomous and has its own conserved energy. A useful basic collection is thereforeThe total energy is generally not conserved. With , its derivative is , which is generically nonzero.
Unequal masses do not remove every rotation charge in the oscillator sector. Put , . This is a canonical transformation and makes that sector an isotropic harmonic oscillator. Its rotations conserveThese mass-weighted oscillator symmetries exist already at distinct masses. The energies and three rotation charges are not all functionally independent; the three-oscillator sector has at most five independent time-independent integrals on regular trajectories.
New to topics? Read the docs here!