Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematical-methods-ii-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016/9/d/solution
Past exam of the mathematical methods II course of the University of Oxford 2016 9 d Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
For the zero normal mode, . The molecule translates uniformly; a common constant displacement is the special case . For the lower vibrational normal mode, put :The end atoms move oppositely with equal amplitudes, while the central atom remains stationary. In the higher vibrational normal mode, with ,The ends move together and the centre moves in the opposite direction, with central amplitude times an end amplitude. Both internal modes keep the centre of mass fixed and obey mass-weighted orthogonality. The zero mode instead describes motion of that centre of mass.
Three free-chain mode shapes and their displacement histories, shown for central mass twice an end mass
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