Past exam of the physics 1 paper of the University of Oxford / 2019 / 9 / a / i

A cyclic coordinate is absent from the Lagrangian itself: $\partial L/\partial q_i=0$. Its conjugate momentum $p_i=\partial L/\partial {\dot{q}}_i$ therefore obeys ${\dot{p}}_i=0$. In the rolling-wedge calculation, the cyclic horizontal translation gives conservation of the system's horizontal momentum.