What is Hamiltonian mechanics?
Q: What is Hamiltonian mechanics?
A: Hamiltonian mechanics is a mathematical way of understanding the way something mechanical will behave.
Q: Who invented Hamiltonian mechanics and when?
A: Hamiltonian mechanics was invented in 1833 by Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton.
Q: What is the value of the Hamiltonian?
A: The value of the Hamiltonian is the total energy of the thing being described.
Q: What is the Hamiltonian for a closed system?
A: For a closed system, the Hamiltonian is the sum of its kinetic and potential energy.
Q: What are the Hamilton equations?
A: The Hamilton equations are a set of differential equations which show how the thing changes through time.
Q: What are some examples of simple systems that can be described using Hamiltonian mechanics?
A: Hamiltonians can be used to describe such simple systems as a bouncing ball, a pendulum, or an oscillating spring in which energy changes between kinetic and potential energy and back again over time.
Q: What other applications does Hamiltonian mechanics have?
A: Hamiltonians can also be used to study the orbits of planets and in the behavior of atoms using the principles of quantum mechanics.
