Lagrangians galore

Searching for a Lagrangian may seem either a trivial endeavor or an impossible task. In this paper, we show that the Jacobi last multiplier associated with the Lie symmetries admitted by simple models of classical mechanics produces (too?) many Lagrangians in a simple way. We exemplify the method by such a classic as the simple harmonic oscillator, the harmonic oscillator in disguise [H. Goldstein, Classical Mechanics, 2nd edition (Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1980)], and the damped harmonic oscillator. This is the first paper in a series dedicated to this subject. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.