 Hamiltonian mechanics

Hamiltonian mechanics is a reformulation of classical mechanics that arises from Lagrangian mechanics and provides a powerful framework for analyzing dynamical systems, particularly in the context of physics and engineering. Developed by William Rowan Hamilton in the 19th century, this approach focuses on energy rather than forces and is intimately related to the principles of symplectic geometry. ### Key Features of Hamiltonian Mechanics 1.

Equivalent to Lagrangian mechanics but formulated in a different way.

Motivation: Lagrangian vs Hamiltonian.

TODO understand original historical motivation, www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZXHoWwBcDc says it is from optics.

Intuitively, the Hamiltonian is the total energy of the system in terms of arbitrary parameters, a bit like Lagrangian mechanics.

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