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On Lie point symmetries in mechanics

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Il Nuovo Cimento B (1971-1996)

Summary

We present some remarks on the existence and the properties of Lie point symmetries of finite dimensional dynamical systems expressed either in Newton-Lagrange or in Hamilton form. We show that the only Lie symmetries admitted by Newton-Lagrange-type problems are essentially linear symmetries, and construct the most general problem admitting such a symmetry. In the case of Hamiltonian problems, we discuss the differences and the relationships between the existence of time-independent Lie point symmetries and the invariance properties of the Hamiltonian under coordinate transformations.

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C.N.R. fellow under grant 203.01.48.

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Cicogna, G., Gaeta, G. On Lie point symmetries in mechanics. Nuov Cim B 107, 1085–1096 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02727046

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02727046

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