Mathematics Subject Classification: 26A33; 70H03, 70H25, 70S05; 49S05We treat the fractional order differential equation that contains the left and right Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives. Such equations arise as the Euler-Lagrange equation in variational principles with fractional derivatives. We reduce the problem to a Fredholm integral equation and construct a solution in the space of continuous functions. Two competing approaches in formulating differential equations of fractional order...

We show that the validity of the Carnot's theorem about the kinetic energy balance for a mechanical system subject to an inert impulsive kinetic constraint, once correctly framed in the time dependent geometric environment for Impulsive Mechanics given by the left and right jet bundles of the space-time bundle N, is strictly related to the frame of reference used to describe the system and then it is not an intrinsic property of the mechanical system itself. We analyze in details the class of frames...

See Summary in Note I. First, on the basis of some results in [2] or [5]-such as Lemmas 8.1 and 10.1-the general (mathematical) theorems on controllizability proved in Note I are quickly applied to (mechanic) Lagrangian systems. Second, in case $\mathrm{\Sigma }$, $\chi$ and $M$ satisfy conditions (11.7) when $𝒬$ is a polynomial in $\dot{\gamma }$, conditions (C)-i.e. (11.8) and (11.7) with $𝒬\equiv 0$-are proved to be necessary for treating satisfactorily $\mathrm{\Sigma }$'s hyper-impulsive motions (in which positions can suffer first order discontinuities)....

In [1] I and II various equivalence theorems are proved; e.g. an ODE $(ℰ)\dot{z}=F(t,z,u,\dot{u})(\in {ℝ}^m)$ with a scalar control $u=u(\cdot )$ is linear w.r.t. $\dot{u}$ iff $(\alpha )$ its solution $z(u,\cdot )$ with given initial conditions (chosen arbitrarily) is continuous w.r.t. $u$ in a certain sense, or iff $(\beta )$

Let $\mathrm{\Sigma }$ be a constrained mechanical system locally referred to state coordinates $(q^1,\mathrm{\dots },q^N,{\gamma }^1,\mathrm{\dots },{\gamma }^M)$. Let $({\tilde{\gamma }}^1\mathrm{\dots }{\tilde{\gamma }}^M)(\cdot )$ be an assigned trajectory for the coordinates ${\gamma }^{\alpha }$ and let $u(\cdot )$ be a scalar function of the time, to be thought as a control. In [4] one considers the control system ${\mathrm{\Sigma }}_{\widehat{\gamma }}$, which is parametrized by the coordinates $(q^1,\mathrm{\dots },q^N)$ and is obtained from $\mathrm{\Sigma }$ by adding the time-dependent, holonomic constraints ${\gamma }^{\alpha }={\widehat{\gamma }}^{\alpha }(t):={\tilde{\gamma }}^{\alpha }(u(t))$. More generally, one can consider a vector-valued control $u(\cdot )=(u^1,\mathrm{\dots },u^M)(\cdot )$ which is directly identified with $\widehat{\gamma }(\cdot )=({\widehat{\gamma }}^1,\mathrm{\dots },{\widehat{\gamma }}^M)(\cdot )$. If one denotes the momenta conjugate...

This Note is the continuation of a previous paper with the same title. Here (Part II) we show that for every choice of the sequence $u{}_a(\cdot )$, ${\mathrm{\Sigma }}_a$'s trajectory $l_a$ after the instant $d+\eta a$ tends in a certain natural sense, as $a\to \mathrm{\infty }$, to a certain geodesic $l$ of $V_d$, with origin at $\left(\overline{q},\overline{u}\right)$. Incidentally $l$ is independent of the choice of applied forces in a neighbourhood of $\left(\overline{q},\overline{u}\right)$ arbitrarily prefixed.

In this Note (which will be followed by a second) we consider a Lagrangian system $\mathrm{\Sigma }$ (possibly without any Lagrangian function) referred to $N+1$ coordinates $q_1\mathrm{\cdots },q_N$, $u$, with $u$ to be used as a control, and precisely to add to $\mathrm{\Sigma }$ a frictionless constraint of the type $u=u\left(t\right)$. Let $\mathrm{\Sigma }$'s (frictionless) constraints be represented by the manifold $V_t$ generally moving in Hertz's space. We also consider an instant $d$ (to be used for certain limit discontinuity-properties), a point $\left(\overline{q},\overline{u}\right)$ of $V_d$, a value $\overline{p}$ for $\mathrm{\Sigma }$'s momentum conjugate...

In applying control (or feedback) theory to (mechanic) Lagrangian systems, so far forces have been generally used as values of the control $u(\cdot )$. However these values are those of a Lagrangian co-ordinate in various interesting problems with a scalar control $u=u(\cdot )$, where this control is carried out physically by adding some frictionless constraints. This pushed the author to consider a typical Lagrangian system $\mathrm{\Sigma }$, referred to a system $\chi$ of Lagrangian co-ordinates, and to try and write some handy conditions,...

The paper deals with the problem of finding the field of force that generates a given ($N-1$)-parametric family of orbits for a mechanical system with $N$ degrees of freedom. This problem is usually referred to as the inverse problem of dynamics. We study this problem in relation to the problems of celestial mechanics. We state and solve a generalization of the Dainelli and Joukovski problem and propose a new approach to solve the inverse Suslov’s problem. We apply the obtained results to generalize the...

One studies the differential equations of the movement of certain classical and relativistic systems for some special Lagrangian functions. One considers particularly the case in which the problem presents cyclic coordinates. Some electrodynamical applications are studied.

Lepagean 2-form as a globally defined, closed counterpart of higher-order variational equations on fibered manifolds over one-dimensional bases is introduced, and elementary proofs of the basic theorems concerning the inverse problem of the calculus of variations, based on the notion of Lepagean 2-form and its properties, are given.

The Euler-Lagrange equations are given in a geometrized framework using a differential form related to the Poincare-Cartan form. This new differential form is intrinsically characterized; the present approach does not suppose a distinction between the field and the space-time variables (i.e. a fibration). In connection with this problem we give another proof describing the most general Lagrangian leading to identically vanishing Euler-Lagrange equations. This gives the possibility to have a geometric...