On the Noether symmetry and Lie symmetry of mechanical systems

The Noether symmetry is an invariance of Hamilton action under infinitesimal transformations of time and the coordinates. The Lie symmetry is an invariance of the differential equations of motion under the transformations. In this paper, the relation between these two symmetries is proved definitely and firstly for mechanical systems. The results indicate that all the Noether symmetries are Lie symmetries for Lagrangian systems meanwhile a Noether symmetry is a Lie symmetry for the general holonomic or nonholonomic systems provided that some conditions hold. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19972010)