Friday, July 13, 2018

classical mechanics - Virtual displacement


Currently I am reading Classical Dynamics written by Donald Greenwood. I have a doubt in the section discussing about virtual displacement. As far as I understood, Virtual displacement (virtual or imaginary) is an infinitesimal change in the configuration of the system which conforms to any instantaneous constraints and forces of the system.


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On the left hand side of the page, it is given that the condition for $\delta{x}$ be replaced by $dx$ is that the constraint equation has to be holonomic, but my actual question is from my understanding, virtual displacement is not actual displacement then how can one replace $\delta{x}$ by $dx$ when the contraint is holonomic. It doesn't mean like virtual displacement is same as actual displacement when constraint is holonomic? Or did I understood the concept wrongly?




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