The three pages comprehensively detail the kinetic energy ($T$) of a coupled mass system (e.g., a mass $m_1$ moving on a horizontal plane connected by a string through a hole to a second mass $m_2$ moving vertically). The first defines the kinetic energy of the mass on the plane as $T_1 = \frac{1}{2}m_1 (\dot{r}^2 + r^2 \dot{\phi}^2)$, which includes both radial ($\dot{r}$) and angular ($\dot{\phi}$) velocity components in polar coordinates. The second states that the kinetic energy of the vertically moving mass is simply $T_2 = \frac{1}{2}m_2 \dot{r}^2$, as its speed is purely vertical and equal to the radial speed ($\dot{r}$) of $m_1$ due to the fixed string length. Finally, the third combines these to give the total kinetic energy of the system: $T = \frac{1}{2}(m_1 + m_2)\dot{r}^2 + \frac{1}{2}(m_1 r^2) \dot{\phi}^2$, which groups the terms by the generalized velocities ($\dot{r}$ and $\dot{\phi}$) and identifies the coefficients as the diagonal components of the Generalized Inertia Tensor ($M_{rr} = m_1+m_2$ and $M_{\phi\phi} = m_1 r^2$).

<aside> ❓

  1. What is the kinetic energy of mass moving in the horizontal plane?
  2. What is the kinetic energy of mass moving vertically?
  3. What is the total kinetic energy of the coupled mass system in terms of velocities of the generalized coordinates? </aside>