Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/ii/paper-2/9e/solution

For , the Euler-Lagrange equations give
In components these are , and . A normal mode has and satisfies . For eigenvalue , the first and third rows give and , and the second row then agrees. Hence
The particle positions are recovered by adding the equilibrium offsets to the last two entries. Their displacements are in phase with amplitude ratio .

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