Use Lagrange's Equations to derive the equation of motion for a simple massspring-damper system.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The equation of motion is (m-c)¨x + kx = 0.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the system and its components

A simple mass-spring-damper system consists of a mass (m) attached to a spring with spring constant (k) and a damper with damping coefficient (c). The system is designed to oscillate in one dimension.
02

Construct the Lagrangian

The Lagrangian (L) of a system represents the difference between its kinetic energy (T) and its potential energy (V), that is: L = T - V. For a mass-spring-damper system, the kinetic energy is given by: T = \frac{1}{2}m\dot{x}^2 Where x is the displacement of the mass and \dot{x} represents its first time derivative, indicating the velocity of the mass. The potential energy in the system comes from the spring as a result of Hooke's Law: V = \frac{1}{2}kx^2 Finally, the system has damping, which we introduce as a Rayleigh dissipation function (F): F = \frac{1}{2}c\dot{x}^2 Now, the Lagrangian becomes: L = T - V - F L = \frac{1}{2}m\dot{x}^2 - \frac{1}{2}kx^2 - \frac{1}{2}c\dot{x}^2
03

Apply Lagrange's Equation

To derive the equation of motion, we will apply Lagrange's Equation, which is given by: \frac{d}{dt}(\frac{\partial L}{\partial \dot{x}}) - \frac{\partial L}{\partial x} = 0 Let's calculate the required partial derivatives for our system: \frac{\partial L}{\partial \dot{x}} = m\dot{x} - c\dot{x} \frac{\partial L}{\partial x} = -kx Now, take the time derivative of the first partial derivative: \frac{d}{dt}(\frac{\partial L}{\partial \dot{x}}) = m\ddot{x} - c\ddot{x} Now, plug the derivatives back into Lagrange's Equation: m\ddot{x} - c\ddot{x} + kx = 0
04

Write the final equation of motion

We can now simplify the equation of motion to its final form by collecting the terms with the same variables: (m-c)\ddot{x} + kx = 0 This is the equation of motion for a simple mass-spring-damper system derived using Lagrange's Equations.

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