PDA

View Full Version : Help! Coupled differential for double pendulum system.


Otherworlder
Aug 30, 2006, 10:10 AM
I have two second order differential equations that describes a double pendulum system:

y''[x] = g(y[w]-y[x])/a
y''[w] = 2g(y[x]-y[w])/b

I tried in mathematica

DSolve[{y''[x] == g(y[w]-y[x])/a,y''[w] == 2g(y[x]-y[w])/b},{y[x],y[w]},x,w]

but it didn't work. Can Mathematica actually solve that? I looked through the equation pages here and didn't find it either. Anybody has any ideas? I greatly appreciate the help

LUNAGODDESS
Aug 30, 2006, 12:22 PM
THERE IS THIS SOFTWARE THAT CAN help YOU FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM... without giving the answer... THE WEBSITE address is:

Www. Algebra-Help.com

Capuchin
Nov 8, 2006, 03:34 AM
Excuse me if I'm being dim, Luna, but this is a differential problem more than an algebraic one? - from what I can see that software has no calculus built in.

To answer your question otherworlder, Mathematica should definitely be powerful enough to solve it for you, however I am not familiar with using it, so cannot help you.

How about doing it the old fashioned way? ;)