Exploring a rheonomic system

Abstract

A simple and illustrative rheonomic system is explored in the Lugrangian formalism. The difference between the Jacobi integral and the energy is highlighted. A sharp contrast with remarks found in the literature is pointed out. The non-conservative system possesses a Lagrangian that is not explicitly dependent on time and consequently there is a Jacobi integral. The Lagrange undetermined multiplier method is used as a complement to obtain a few interesting conclusions.