Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-relativity-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/section-b/4/b/solution
Past exam of the relativity course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Section B 4 b Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Let a dot denote differentiation with respect to the five-dimensional affine parameter , and define . Use the quadratic geodesic LagrangianThe assumed independence of makes it a cyclic coordinate, so the corresponding Euler-Lagrange equation isSince , this givesGeometrically, this is the conserved momentum associated with the fifth-direction Killing vector field . It is the conserved fibre momentum underlying the Kaluza-Klein geodesic Lorentz force.
New to topics? Read the docs here!