Lagrangian vs Hamiltonian
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The key difference from Lagrangian mechanics is that the Hamiltonian approach groups variables into pairs of coordinates called the phase space coordinates:This leads to having two times more unknown functions than in the Lagrangian. However, it also leads to a system of partial differential equations with only first order derivatives, which is nicer. Notably, it can be more clearly seen in phase space.
- generalized coordinates, generally positions or angles
- their corresponding conjugate momenta, generally velocities, or angular velocities