Explicit Equations of Motion for Mechanical Systems With Nonideal Constraints

Abstract

Since its inception about 200 years ago, Lagrangian mechanics has been based upon the Principle of D’Alembert. There are, however, many physical situations where this confining principle is not suitable, and the constraint forces do work. To date, such situations are excluded from general Lagrangian formulations. This paper releases Lagrangian mechanics from this confinement, by generalizing D’Alembert’s principle, and presents the explicit equations of motion for constrained mechanical systems in which the constraints are nonideal. These equations lead to a simple and new fundamental view of Lagrangian mechanics. They provide a geometrical understanding of constrained motion, and they highlight the simplicity with which Nature seems to operate.