Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2023/ii/paper-4/8d/solution

An adiabatic invariant remains constant to leading order when a system parameter changes on a timescale much longer than one period. For a periodic one-degree-of-freedom system, the adiabatic invariance of the action supplies such an invariant.
The momentum magnitude between collisions is . A complete orbit crosses the gap once in each direction, so the unnormalized action used in the question is
Consequently
because the speed is and the round-trip distance is .
When varies adiabatically, conservation of the adiabatic particle between moving parallel walls action gives
A moving wall does work at each collision: an approaching wall raises the particle's energy and a receding wall lowers it. Elasticity holds in the instantaneous rest frame of the wall.

New to topics? Read the docs here!