Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2007/ii/paper-2/15c/c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 ii Paper 2 15C c Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
A canonical transformation preserves the symplectic form and therefore the form of Hamilton's equations for arbitrary Hamiltonians. In one degree of freedom,Thus the transformation is canonical exactly when . Equivalently the chain rule gives for arbitrary transformed functions, so the bracket and Hamiltonian dynamics are preserved precisely with this factor one. The condition also makes the Jacobian nonzero and hence supplies local invertibility; a global canonical change of variables additionally requires the stipulated global bijectivity on its domain.
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