Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2006/ii/paper-2/9c/solution

The kinetic energy is . The Euler–Lagrange equations give
For a normal mode , the stiffness matrix is
Solving this quadratic yields
Both are positive for positive spring constants. A corresponding amplitude ratio is ; the lower-frequency mode has the masses moving in the same direction and the higher-frequency mode in opposite directions.

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