Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2011/ii/paper-3/9c/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2011 ii Paper 3 9C Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Noether theorem associates a conserved quantity to a continuous symmetry of the Lagrangian (with the usual boundary-term correction if the Lagrangian changes by a total derivative). The angles and are cyclic coordinates, so for the heavy symmetric topTime-translation symmetry gives conserved energy, whose Hamiltonian expression isIt is quadratic in the momenta; . Eliminating the cyclic velocities and putting , so , yieldsThe first term has degree three and the second degree two, displaying the cubic governing nutation.
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