Past exam of the physics course of the year 4 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge / 2014 / Paper 1 / B6

A normal mode is a motion in which all generalized coordinates oscillate at one frequency with fixed amplitude ratios. Small oscillations about stable equilibrium in a time-independent conservative system give $\mathsf{M}\ddot{\mathbf{\theta }}+\mathsf{K}\mathbf{\theta }=0$, with positive mass matrix and symmetric stiffness matrix, allowing a generalized normal-mode eigenproblem.

For the three-to-one mass double-pendulum modes, the angles are absolute displacements from vertical, as printed. To quadratic order,For $\mathbf{\theta }=\mathbf{A}\cos \omega t$ and $q={\omega }^2\ell /g$, the determinant isThusThe low mode has the strings leaning together, with the lower angle twice as large; the high mode has opposite angular signs. Both reverse together after half their respective periods.

For the specified release, decompose $(\alpha ,\alpha )=(3\alpha /4)(1,2)+(\alpha /4)(1,-2)$. Thereforeand the lower mass's horizontal displacement isThis is the supremum of two incommensurate harmonic modes, conventionally described as the maximum-amplitude estimate. Strictly, ${\omega }_{+}/{\omega }_{-}=\sqrt{3}$ is irrational, so the opposite cosine extrema are approached arbitrarily closely but never coincide at a finite time. The quoted value is a supremum of the ideal linearized motion.