Degrees of freedom — UPSC Physics Optional IFoS 2025 Paper I

(i) Define cyclic coordinates and find their connections with the symmetries of the system.

(ii) A system with two degrees of freedom is described by the Lagrangian \text{L} = \frac{1}{2}\text{m}_1 \dot{\text{q}}_1^2 + \frac{1}{2}\text{m}_2 \text{q}_1^2 \dot{\text{q}}_2^2 - \frac{\alpha}{\text{q}_1}, \alpha is constant. Find the cyclic coordinates, conserved quantities and symmetries for this system, if any.