MSMS Exam 2017/02/06

The most common errors found

in the exam solutions
Question Q1

These are various errors found in the exam solutions.

1. Solution is given, but the draft notes WERE NOT HANDED OVER
2. No solution is given, and no explanation available from the draft notes.
3. Partial solution is given, but no final result is provided.
4. Wrong solution is given, and no explanation is available from the draft notes.
5. Scalar product is computed in a wrong way

a1 b1 a1 b1
a T b is computed as a2 b2 = a2 b2
a3 b3 a3 b3
This is a very serious error.
6. The gravitational potential energy Pg is computed without the minus sign, i.e.,
Pg = mg T p instead of mg T p
This is very disappointing, since many times I have pointed out that the minus sign is structural
and shall not be thrown away.
7. When one computes the gravitational potential energy Pg , the two vectors g and p must both be
represented in the reference frame with respect to which the potential energy is computed, usually the
inertial frame R0 .
So it is necessary to transform them using the appropriate R0x rotation matrix.
8. The rotation matrix Rab between Ra and Rb is wrong. Recall that Rab is the representation of Rb in
Ra and not the representation of Ra in Rb . For instance, considering Figure 1, one should be able to
find any Rab , only looking at the unit vector representations.
Some examples:

0 sin cos
R06 is the representation of R6 in R0 i.e., R06 = i 6 j 6 k 6 = 0 cos sin
0 0 0
1 0 0

0 1 0
2 2
R3 is the representation of R3 in R2 i.e., R3 = i3 j3 k3 = 0 0 1

2 2 2
1 0 0
This concept is illustrated in the slides titled Rotations and Reference Frames (page 10 and 18), as
shown in Figure 2.
9. Physical vectors, as velocities or accelerations are transformed using homogeneous matrices T xy instead
T
of rotation matrices Rxy . As an example, if a = a1 a2 a3 is a generic acceleration vector, it must

p
conserve its norm a21 + a22 + a23 in any reference frame, while using the transformation T xy (Rxy , t xy )
produces
Rxy a + t xy
whos norm is different. This is a very serious error.

1
 Figure 1: Some reference frame

Question Q2

1. The kinetic co-energy is wrong, for these possible errors:

the rotational inertia is included, but the masses are point masses with rotational inertia zero;
there are missing terms;
s2i + c21 = 1 is not indicated.

2. The potential energy is wrong, for these possible errors:

error in the sign i.e., plus instead of minus;

`spring or d or both are missing in the elastic energy;
missing terms

3. The dissipation function is wrong, for these possible errors:

One of the three terms is missing;

1 1
One term is written as (q12 q22 ) instead of (q1 q2 )2
2 2
4. The generalized forces are wrong, for these possible errors:

Forces are written as Fi = Fi qi instead of Fi = Fi

F3 and F4 are not zero

5. The H matrix is wrong, for these possible errors:

Wrong derivative
Wrong numerical computation
Matrix not symmetric
Some terms missing or wrong

2
Figure 2: Slides illustrating the meaning of a rotation matrix