Suggested Citation:
Udwadia, Firdaus E., Robert E. Kalaba, Yueyue Fan (2005) Is Analytical Dynamics a Theoretical or an Experimental Science?. Nonlinear Analysis: Theory, Methods & Applications 63 (5-7), 692 - 698

When a mechanical system is subjected to equality constraints, use of the chain rule of differentiation and of generalized inverses of matrices enables us to write the most general possible equation of motion, no use being made of any physical principles, Eq.(8). Then employment of standard physical principles enables us to further interpret the terms in this general equation of motion.

Key words: Analytical dynamics, principle of virtual work, nonholonomic constraints, nonideal constraints, pseudoinverse of a matrix