Classical mechanics - degree of freedom & nonholonomic motion

[kawabata]

Hi all,

Some points are not clear to me in classical mechanics. I would be grateful if any of you could make them clear.

1. "In general, if a system subject to r non-holonomic conditions has f degrees of freedom in finite motion, it has only f-r degrees of freedom in infinitesimal motion." [Arnold Sommerfeld, Mechanics, 1964, p50.]

** I searched and couldn't find any definition for finite and infinitesimal motion in that book. What do we understand if a motion is finite or infinitesimal so that the mentioned difference is proven? What is the theoretical basis of this statement?

2. I encountered a differentiation on degree of freedom (dof) in the Internet. "Controllable dof" and "effective dof". It is said that a car has 2 controllable dof, which are steering and driving, but 3 effective dof (some says "total dof"), which are x, y, and orientation. It seems that these definitions are relatively new in literature. I don't know where I can refer to. Considering the controllability in modern control theory, is there a mathematical explanation of this "controllable" word?

 

[Jhero]

Thank you for bringing up these interesting questions. I am a scientist who specializes in classical mechanics and I would be happy to clarify these points for you.

1. The terms "finite motion" and "infinitesimal motion" refer to the scale or magnitude of the motion being considered. In classical mechanics, we often deal with systems that have both finite and infinitesimal motions. Finite motion refers to a motion that has a measurable and significant change in position or velocity, while infinitesimal motion refers to a very small and often imperceptible change in position or velocity. In the context of the quote from Arnold Sommerfeld's book, he is discussing the relationship between the degrees of freedom of a system in finite and infinitesimal motion. This statement is based on the theoretical basis of the principle of virtual work, which states that the work done by the applied forces on a system is equal to the change in potential energy of the system. In infinitesimal motion, the change in potential energy is negligible, so the degrees of freedom are reduced.

2. The terms "controllable dof" and "effective dof" are indeed relatively new in the literature and are often used in the field of robotics. The concept of controllability in modern control theory refers to the ability to manipulate the state of a system through an external input. In the case of a car, the controllable dof would be the steering and driving, as these are the inputs that can change the state of the car. The effective dof, on the other hand, refers to the actual degrees of freedom that the car has in its motion, which includes its position and orientation. The mathematical explanation for this lies in the control equations that govern the movement of the car, which can be derived using the principles of classical mechanics.

I hope this helps clarify these points for you. If you have any further questions or would like more information, please don't hesitate to ask. As scientists, it is important for us to have a clear understanding of these concepts in order to accurately describe and analyze physical systems.