Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-1-paper-of-the-university-of-oxford/2019/8/a/solution
Past exam of the physics 1 paper of the University of Oxford 2019 8 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
A central force exerts zero torque about its centre, so angular momentum is conserved and the motion is planar. In plane polar coordinates, andUse and either the radial Euler-Lagrange equation or differentiation of the energy away from turning points to getThe radial acceleration is , so this is exactly , not an additional physical outward force in an inertial frame. The variational derivation remains valid at turning points where dividing an energy derivative by would be illegitimate.
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