Classical Mechanics - Homework Assignment 5

Alejandro Gomez Espinosa

October 24, 2012

Goldstein, Ch.4, 6 The body set of axes can be related to the space set in terms of Eulers
angles by the following set of rotations:
(a) Rotation about the x axis by an angle .
(b) Rotation about the z

axis by an angle .
(c) Rotation about the old z axis by an angle .
Show that this sequence leads to the same elements of the matrix of transformation
as the sequence of rotations given in the book. [Hint: It is not necessary to carry out
the explicit multiplication of the rotation matrices.]
Lets use the notation R
x
() for matrix that represents the rst rotation, R
z
() for
the second and, R
z
() for the third rotation. To rotate from the initial coordinate sys-
tem to the one described in (a), we use the matrix R
x
(). To rotate from this system
to (b) we multiply by the rotational matrix, i.e., R
z
()R
x
(). But then, to rotate
about the rst, old, z axis we must go back to our original system, represented by
the inverse of the rotation matrix: R
x
()
1
R
1
z

()R
z
()R
x
() and multiplying by
the new rotation: R
z
()R
x
()
1
R
1
z

()R
z
()R
x
(). But if this process permutes,
we can rotate again according to (b) and (a): R
z
()R
x
()R
z
(); that is the same
sequence of rotation given by the book.
Goldstein, Ch.4, 7 If A is the matrix of rotation through 180

about any axis, show that

if
P

=
1
2
(1 A)
then P
2

= P

. Obtain the elements of P

in any suitable system, and nd a geo-

metric interpretation of the operation P
+
and P

on any vector F.
Lets use the matrix of rotation about the z-axis:
A =
_
_
cos sin 0
sin cos 0
0 0 1
_
_
=
_
_
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 1
_
_
=
Compute the matrix P
+
:
P
+
=
1
2
(1 + A) =
1
2
_
_
_
_
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 1
_
_
+
_
_
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 1
_
_
_
_
=
_
_
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 1
_
_
(1)

gomez@physics.rutgers.edu
1
Then, calculate P
2
+
:
P
2
+
=
_
_
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 1
_
_
_
_
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 1
_
_
=
_
_
0 0 0
0 0 0
0 0 1
_
_
(2)
Comparing (1) and (2), it is clear that P
2
+
= P
+
. The geometric interpretation of
this operator is the projection of a vector F in one of the axis, in this example, the
projection in the z-axis.
Now, lets repeat the procedure for P

:
P

=
1
2
(1 A) =
1
2
_
_
_
_
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 1
_
_

_
_
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 1
_
_
_
_
=
_
_
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 0
_
_
(3)
Then, calculate P
2

:
P
2
+
=
_
_
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 0
_
_
_
_
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 0
_
_
=
_
_
1 0 0
0 1 0
0 0 0
_
_
(4)
Comparing (3) and (4), it is clear that P
2

= P
+
. The geometric interpretation of
this operator is the projection of a vector F in one of the planes, in this example, the
projection in the plane x y.
Goldstein, Ch.4, 9 Show that any rotation can be represented by successive reection
in two planes, both passing through the axis of rotation with the planar angle /2
between them.
Lets take the reection matrix for a general case:
A =
_
_
cos sin 0
sin cos 0
0 0 1
_
_
where this matrix represents a reection above the x y plane. Applying two suc-
cessive reections A and B:
AB =
_
_
cos sin 0
sin cos 0
0 0 1
_
_
_
_
cos sin 0
sin cos 0
0 0 1
_
_
=
_
_
cos
2
sin
2
2 cos sin 0
2 cos sin cos
2
sin 0
0 0 1
_
_
=
_
_
cos
_

2
_
sin
_

2
_
0
sin
_

2
_
cos
_

2
_
0
0 0 1
_
_
that probes that any rotation can be represented by successive reection in two planes
with planar angle /2 between them.
2
Goldstein, Ch.4, 10 If B is a square matrix and A is the exponential of B, dened by
the innite series expansion of the exponential,
A e
B
= 1 + B +
1
2
B
2
+ ... +
B
n
n!
+ ...
then prove the following properties:
(a) e
B
e
C
= e
B+C
, providing B and C commute.
Using the denition of e
B
:
e
B
e
C
=
_
1 + B +
1
2
B
2
+ ... +
B
n
n!
+ ...
__
1 + C +
1
2
C
2
+ ... +
C
n
n!
+ ...
_
= 1 + C +
C
2
2
+ ... +
C
n
n!
+ ... + B + BC +
BC
2
2
+ ...
+
BC
n
n!
+ ... +
B
2
2
+
B
2
C
2
+
B
2
C
2
4
+ ...
= 1 + (C + B) +
1
2
_
C
2
+ 2BC + B
2
_
+ ...
= 1 + (C + B) +
1
2
(C + B)
2
+ ... CB = BC
= e
B+C
(b) A
1
= e
B
e
B
= e
B
A
1
Ae
B
= e
B
A
1
A = 1
A
1
e
B
e
B
= e
B
A
1
e
BB
= e
B
A
1
= e
B
e
0
= 1 +0 +
0
2
2
+ ...
(c) e
CBC
1
= CAC
1
e
CBC
1
= e
C(BC
1
)
= e
C
_
e
BC
1
_
= C
_
e
B
e
C
1
_
= CBC
1
(d) A is orthogonal if B is antisymmetric.
A
1
= e
B
from part (b)
= e
B
B = B (antisymmetric)
= A
3
Goldstein, Ch.4, 14 .
(a) Verify that the permutation symbol satises the following identity in terms of
Kronecker delta symbols:

ijp

rmp
=
ir

jm

im

jr
(5)
By the denition of the permutation symbols:

ijk
=
_
_
_
1 if (i, j, k) = (1, 2, 3), (3, 1, 2), (2, 3, 1)
1 if (i, j, k) = (1, 3, 2), (3, 2, 1), (2, 1, 3)
0 if i = j, j = k, k = i
we know that the indices in must be dierent to each other. Therefore, in the
LHS of (5), the product
ijp

rmp
must be 1 if i = r and j = m; 1 if i = m and
j = m, and, 0 for all the other cases.
Then, lets consider the case when i = r and j = m = i because is the only way
to keep the permutation in the symbols, for the RHS:

ir

jm

im

jr
= 1(1) 0(0) = 1
Next, lets consider the case when we have an antipermutation i = m and
j = r = i:

ir

jm

im

jr
= 0(0) 1(1) = 1
(b) Show that

ijp

ijk
= 2
pk
The general three-dimensional case for the product of two permutation symbols
is given by:

ijk

lmn
=

il

im

in

jl

jm

jn

kl

km

kn

=
il
(
jm

kn

jn

km
)
im
(
jl

kn

jn

kl
) +
in
(
jl

km

jm

kl
)
Note that in the case of i = l, we found the relation in part (a). That is another
way to verify the previous problem. Now, lets consider the case when i = l and
j = m:

ijk

lmn
=
il
(
jm

kn

jn

km
) i = l

ijk

imn
=
jm

kn

jn

km
=
kn

jn

kj
j = m

ijk

ijn
=
kn

nk
=
kn
(
kn
)
= 2
kn
4