
 MECHANICAL SYSTEMS, CLASSICAL MODELS 
 
714 
they result from the relation (A.2.5) and from the condition that the mixed derivatives 
of second order of the quasi-potential 
123
(, , ;)UUxxxt
 be immaterial on the order 
of differentiation (we assume that 
2
()UCD∈ , 
3
123
(, , )xxx D∈⊂\ , with respect 
to the space variables). 
To a determined potential 
123
(, , )UUxxx
 one may add an arbitrary constant, 
without any change of its properties. We mention also the properties: 
 iv) 
12 1 2 2 1
grad( ) grad gradUU U U U U=+; 
  v) 
grad() ()grad
UfU U
′
= ,   
1
C∈ ; 
 vi) 
12
12 1 2
grad ( , ) grad grad
UU
UU f U f U
′
=+
; 
vii) 
( )grad grad ( )d
UU fUU=
∫
, 
 integrable. 
These properties hold for a quasi-potential field too. Concerning the position vector 
r , 
we may write 
1
grad
r
r
= r ,   
()
grad ( )
r
fr
r
= r
,   
1
C∈ ,                       (A.2.16) 
grad( )
=Cr C,    const=
JJJJG
C .                                   (A.2.16') 
In the case of a potential 
123
(, , ) ()UUxxx U
= r , the formula (A.2.9) allows to 
write the differential 
dgraddUU
⋅ r
.                                             (A.2.17) 
Introducing the mapping 
()ss→ r , which defines a curve C , it results that 
()UUs= , so that 
dd
grad grad
dd
UU
UU
ss s
∂
== ⋅= ⋅
∂
r
,                             (A.2.18) 
obtaining thus the derivative on the direction of the unit vector 
 of the tangent to this 
curve; the partial derivative is, in this case, equal to the total derivative. By means of 
the above introduced operator 
, one may conceive the symbol  d  of the total 
differential as an operator, in the form of a scalar product 
dd dgrad
⋅= ⋅
rr.                                        (A.2.19) 
The formula (A.2.6') leads to the operator derivative in the direction of the unit vector 
n , which may be expressed in the form 
grad
n
=⋅ =⋅
∂
∇nn;                                         (A.2.20) 
if  ()s=rr  and 
=n τ
, then we get the operator