Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/iii/paper-8/1/b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 8 1 b Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For , differentiability with respect to initial data gives the variational equationThe Jacobi determinant derivative formula givesThe mixed derivatives in the Hamiltonian vector field cancel:Consequently , and gives preservation of phase space volume:The same argument applies to for every starting time . This is the Liouville theorem in Hamiltonian mechanics. Explicit time dependence of does not affect the cancellation.
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