Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-classical-mechanics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2023/3/a/iii/solution
Past exam of the classical mechanics course of the University of Oxford 2023 3 a iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
The Poisson bracket is antisymmetric, so . The Hamiltonian energy balance consequently givesFor a regular Lagrangian the Legendre transform in mechanics gives , evaluated at the corresponding velocity. In particular, a Lagrangian with no explicit time dependence has time-translation symmetry. Noether theorem associates this continuous symmetry of the action with the conserved quantity . For an ordinary natural mechanical Lagrangian , with quadratic in the velocities, this quantity is the total energy .
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