Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2018 / Paper 2 / 7 / b / ii / Solution

With the stated parameters, the mass and restoring matrices areThe generalized eigenvalue problem givesTherefore the two normal angular frequencies areThe second row of the modal equation is $-{\omega }^{2}x+(1-{\omega }^2)\varphi =0$. It gives the mode shapesEach normal mode has arbitrary small amplitude $a$ and phase $\delta$. The bob's horizontal displacement is $X=x+\varphi$ to first order. Thus in the lower mode, bob and cart move in phase, with bob amplitude $1+\sqrt{2}$ times the cart amplitude. In the higher mode they move oppositely, because $X=(1-\sqrt{2})x$; the bob amplitude is $\sqrt{2}-1$ times the cart amplitude. Its vertical displacement is quadratic in the angle and is absent at this order.