Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Robotic Mirror Therapy System for Functional Recovery of Hemiplegic Arms
Published on: August 15, 2016
Optical mechanical analogy and Hamiltonization of a nonholonomic system
Alberto G Rojo1, Anthony M Bloch
1Department of Physics, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan 48309, USA. rojo@oakland.edu
Abstract:
It is well known that there is an analogy between optics and mechanics that prompted much of the classical theory of mechanics and indeed extended it to the theory of quantum mechanics. We develop here an optical mechanical analogy for a prototypical nonholonomic mechanical system, a knife edge moving on a plane under the influence of a potential. We show that this approach is related to but different from the classical theory of Hamiltonization of nonholonomic systems.
Related Concept Videos
Mechanical Systems
Linear Approximation in Time Domain
For a simple pendulum with a mass evenly distributed along its length and the center of mass located at half the pendulum's length, the...
Simple Harmonic Motion and Uniform Circular Motion
There is an easy way to produce simple harmonic motion by using uniform circular motion. For instance, consider a ball attached to a uniformly rotating...
Equation of Motion: Rotation About a Fixed Axis
The tangential component is dependent on the direction of the angular acceleration of the flywheel. The tangential component of the acceleration propels the flywheel along its path. On the other hand,...
Classical Mechanics
One-Degree-of-Freedom System
A one-degree-of-freedom system is defined by an independent variable that determines its state and behavior. One example of a one-degree-of-freedom system is a simple harmonic oscillator, such as a...

