Constrained motion revisited (Q1892066)

A current assessment of the generalized inverse theory of constrained motion of discrete mechanical systems is presented, and applications are described. The purpose of this paper is to clarify misconceptions and to adumbrate the current state of the theory and its multivarious applications. The Lagrange problem of the calculus of variations with nonholonomic constraints does not yield the correct equations of motion for nonholonomically constrained mechanical systems. The simplicity and uniformity of the application of the generalized inverse relation are illustrated with simple important examples, and the computability, flexibility and controllability of the proposed approach are demonstrated.