Energy quantization and energy levels

[joris_pixie]

Hello !

I had my fair share of quantum mechanics already :) But today I was wondering something, kind of odd I thought of this so late ...

But do continuous energy levels really excist or is it just an approximation.

I am asking this cause by my understanding energy is quantized, so all systems should be discrete ?

 

[Fightfish]

Yes. Energy levels are discrete. However, the difference between the energy levels in macroscopic systems is extremely small, and that, coupled with the immensely large range of energy levels results in an essentially continuous spectrum.

 

[Psi^2]

Energy doesn’t have to be quantized. For example, energy of the free particle (in quantum mechanics) is continuous.