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classes:2009:fall:phys4101.001:q_a_1023

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Oct 23 (Fri) Quiz 2

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Schrodinger's Dog

What is the difference between Dirac's delta function and the Kronecker delta function?

Dark Helmet 10/22

It seems to me they are related only in name. The Kronecker delta is just a function of two variables that is 1 if they are equal and 0 if they are not. The Dirac delta function is a mathmatical construct to help us solve some problems

Mercury 10/23/09 8:00am

To expand on Dark Helmet's answer, the Dirac delta function is a function that is zero everywhere except at δ(0), where it is infinite. The integral of a Dirac delta function is always 1 (provided that the integral includes δ(0)). The Kronecker delta is most useful when defining orthonormality–whenever m≠n, the inner product of two eigenfunctions is zero; whenever m=n, the inner product is 1 (provided the functions are normalized).

liux0756 10/23/09 10:22

It seems to me that the difference is that Dirac's delta function is for continuous case while Kronecker delta function is for discrete case.

Mercury 10/23/09 8:05am

What is a determinate state?

Devlin 10/23 830a

As far as I can tell, determinate states are just eigenfunctions of certain operators. For example, the stationary states we've been studying are determinate states of the Hamiltonian. For the stationary states, every measurement of the particle in a stationary state gives a corresponding energy. It really is just eigenfunctions and eigenvalues.

Daniel Faraday 10/23 12:30 pm

What did y'all think of the test? I thought there was less time pressure, which meant I could take the time I needed to do the best solutions I could.

Schrodinger's Dog 10/23 1:09 pm

When developing the differentiability boundary for the delta potential, why does the integral -epsilon to epsilon when integrating E(Psi) go to 0?

Daniel Faraday 10/23 2pm

Because the integral of any function at just one point is zero; it's the area of a line. Since you're taking the limit of the integral as epsilon goes to zero, the integral of psi goes to zero.

Unless it's the magic delta function, of course. Which is part of what makes the delta function so useful, and also what makes it feel like math legerdemain*.

* sorry, too many GRE flash cards. I meant math magic.

Blackbox 10/23 2:40pm

Griffiths says “degenerate” is two or more linearly independent eigenfunctions share the same eigenvalue. Could you explain more about this with physical concepts or examples? Thanks,

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