Purchase Solution

Acceleration in spherical coordinates

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

Derive the expression of the acceleration in terms of spherical coordinates, see problem 2 of the attachment.

Attachments
Purchase this Solution

Solution Summary

A detailed derivation is given using both elementary and Largeangian methods.

Solution Preview

documentclass[a4paper]{article}
usepackage{amsmath,amssymb}
newcommand{haak}[1]{!left(#1right)}
newcommand{rhaak}[1]{!left [#1right]}
newcommand{lhaak}[1]{left | #1right |}
newcommand{ahaak}[1]{!left{#1right}}
newcommand{gem}[1]{leftlangle #1rightrangle}
newcommand{gemc}[2]{leftlangleleftlangleleft. #1right | #2
rightranglerightrangle}
newcommand{geml}[1]{leftlangle #1right.}
newcommand{gemr}[1]{left. #1rightrangle}
newcommand{haakl}[1]{left(#1right.}
newcommand{haakr}[1]{left.#1right)}
newcommand{rhaakl}[1]{left[#1right.}
newcommand{rhaakr}[1]{left.#1right]}
newcommand{lhaakl}[1]{left |#1right.}
newcommand{lhaakr}[1]{left.#1right |}
newcommand{ahaakl}[1]{left{#1right.}
newcommand{ahaakr}[1]{left.#1right}}
newcommand{ket}[1]{lhaakl{gemr{#1}}}
newcommand{bra}[1]{lhaakr{geml{#1}}}
newcommand{half}{frac{1}{2}}
newcommand{kwart}{frac{1}{4}}
newcommand{erf}{operatorname{erf}}
newcommand{erfi}{operatorname{erfi}}
renewcommand{Re}{operatorname{Re}}
renewcommand{Im}{operatorname{Im}}
renewcommand{arraystretch}{1.5}
newcommand{brk}[1]{renewcommand{arraystretch}{1}
begin{tabular}{l}#1end{tabular}renewcommand{arraystretch}{1.5}}

begin{document}
section{Acceleration in Spherical Coordinates}
There are different ways to solve this problem.

subsection{A lot of brute force}
This is useful to practice manipulations using inner products, differentiation, chain rule etc. etc. I will give a short outline but I won't work out the problem using this approach. What you do is you write down the fact that the postion vector is given by:
begin{equation}
vec{r}=rhat{r}
end{equation}
Then you differentiate w.r.t. time:
begin{equation}label{velo}
frac{dvec{r}}{dt}=frac{d}{dt}haak{rhat{r}} = frac{d r}{dt}hat{r} + rfrac{dhat{r}}{dt}
end{equation}
We now need to find out how to express the vector $frac{dhat{r}}{dt}$ in terms of the unit vectors $hat{r}$, $hat{theta}$ and $hat{phi}$. What you can do is to use the definitions of the unit vectors in terms of the Cartesian unit vectors $hat{i}$, $hat{j}$ and $hat{k}$. You first write:
begin{equation}
frac{dhat{r}}{dt}= frac{partialhat{r}}{partial r}frac{dr}{dt} + frac{partialhat{r}}{partialtheta}frac{dtheta}{dt} + frac{partialhat{r}}{partialphi}frac{dphi}{dt}
end{equation}
Then you carry out the differentations of the unit vector $hat{r}$. The result is some linear combination of the unit vectors $hat{i}$, $hat{j}$ and $hat{k}$. You then express that vector back in ...

Purchase this Solution


Free BrainMass Quizzes
Introduction to Nanotechnology/Nanomaterials

This quiz is for any area of science. Test yourself to see what knowledge of nanotechnology you have. This content will also make you familiar with basic concepts of nanotechnology.

The Moon

Test your knowledge of moon phases and movement.

Variables in Science Experiments

How well do you understand variables? Test your knowledge of independent (manipulated), dependent (responding), and controlled variables with this 10 question quiz.

Classical Mechanics

This quiz is designed to test and improve your knowledge on Classical Mechanics.

Intro to the Physics Waves

Some short-answer questions involving the basic vocabulary of string, sound, and water waves.