Past exam of the theoretical physics I course of the University of Cambridge / 2014 / Paper 1 / 1 / b / Solution

The Euler-Lagrange equations from the quadratic Lagrangian areFor a normal mode proportional to $e^{i\omega t}$, let $\lambda ={\omega }^{2}a/g$. Nonzero amplitudes requireHenceThe corresponding amplitude ratios are $\Phi /\Theta =2\lambda /(1-\lambda )$. The lower-frequency mode has $\Phi /\Theta =2(\sqrt{2}-1)$, with the angles in phase; the higher-frequency mode has $\Phi /\Theta =-2(1+\sqrt{2})$, with opposite signs. The small hoop's spin remains zero in both modes.