Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2020 / Paper 1 / 9

Label the equilibrium vertices in the order $+x,-x,+y,-y,+z,-z$, and write their displacements as ${\mathbf{u}}_i(t)\in {\mathbb{R}}^3$. Their eighteen Cartesian components are generalized coordinates. Linearize the axial Hookean springs about the unstressed equilibrium. For an edge with unit direction ${\mathbf{n}}_{ij}$, its first-order extension is ${\mathbf{n}}_{ij}\cdot ({\mathbf{u}}_i-{\mathbf{u}}_j)$, so the quadratic potential energy isThree zero modes are translations: for each Cartesian unit vector ${\mathbf{e}}_{\alpha }$, take ${\mathbf{u}}_i={\mathbf{e}}_{\alpha }$ at every vertex. Three more are infinitesimal rotations ${\mathbf{u}}_i={\mathbf{e}}_{\alpha }\times {\mathbf{r}}_i$. Explicitly, in the stated vertex order, their displacement vectors areTranslations leave each displacement difference zero. For rotations,because the equilibrium edge vector is parallel to ${\mathbf{n}}_{ij}$. Hence every spring has zero first-order extension in all six patterns, and the stiffness matrix annihilates them.

The translations have nonzero summed displacement, while all the rotations have zero sum. The three rotational patterns are themselves independent because the vertices do not lie on a single line. ThusThese are the rigid-motion zero modes of a spring framework. The rotational displacements describe infinitesimal rigid rotations; an arbitrary finite rotation would require its nonlinear displacement field.

For a breathing displacement take ${\mathbf{u}}_i=q(t){\mathbf{r}}_i$. Every spring has equilibrium length $\sqrt{2}$ in the given length units, so its linear extension is $\sqrt{2}q$. At the vertex ${\mathbf{r}}_i$, the four adjacent equilibrium vertices sum to zero. Therefore the spring force there isIt remains radial and proportional to the original displacement at every vertex, proving that this symmetric displacement is a normal mode. Newton's second law givesThe first is angular frequency and the second is cycles per unit time. For $k$ in $\mathrm{N}{\mathrm{m}}^{-1}$ and $m$ in $\mathrm{kg}$, these have units $\mathrm{rad}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ and $\mathrm{Hz}$ respectively. An energy check gives $T=3m{\dot{q}}^2$ and $V=12k{q}^2$, leading to the same ratio ${\omega }_b^2=24k/(6m)$.

The initial displacement lies in an invariant subspace of axial motions. Let the three opposite vertex pairs have positionsFor a vertex on the positive $x$ axis, the two springs towards the $y$ vertices contribute $-k(q_x+q_y)$ in the $x$ direction; the two towards the $z$ vertices contribute $-k(q_x+q_z)$. Transverse components cancel in pairs. Cyclically,The matrix is $I+11^{\mathsf{T}}$. It has eigenvalue $4$ on the breathing vector $(1,1,1)$, and eigenvalue $1$ on the orthogonal plane $q_x+q_y+q_z=0$. This identifies the axial normal modes of an octahedral spring framework without a large characteristic determinant.

Put ${\omega }_0=\sqrt{k/m}$ and decompose the initial vector asSince all initial velocities are zero, only cosine time factors occur. The complete motion to first order in the displacements iswith the vertex positions given by the first displayed formula. No translation or rotation is excited: the initial displacements are orthogonal to those zero modes and their initial velocities vanish. The two checks ${ϵ}_1={ϵ}_2$ and ${ϵ}_1+2{ϵ}_2=0$ respectively isolate pure breathing and pure traceless axial oscillation. Nonlinear corrections beyond the small-displacement approximation have been omitted.