Are there practical applications for l2 in mathematics and physics?

In summary, the conversation was about the use and applications of l2, the set of square summable sequences. The speaker is a math major who is going to grad school in math and is doing their senior seminar on l2. They were looking for some applications of l2 in fields such as quantum mechanics, general physics, and numerical analysis, but were unable to find any. HallsofIvy explained that the main application of l2 is as a simpler source of examples with similar properties to l^n. The speaker also asked if there is a list of code for math symbols, to which HallsofIvy responded that while there is no specific list, studying l2 can also help in understanding separable Hilbert spaces and
  • #1
sparkster
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Hi all. I heard about the site the the Sec Web. Anyway, I'm a math major with philosophy and physics minors, and I'm going to grad school in math this fall.

I'm doing my senior seminar on l2, the set of square summable sequences. I'd like to close my paper and my talk on some applications, but I can't find anything. I know that L2 has some apps for QM, but is there anything you can do with l2? Anything with QM, general physics, or numerical analysis?
Thanks in advance.
 
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  • #2
Not really. The main application of l2as well as general ln is as simpler sources of examples having the properites of Ln
 
  • #3
Originally posted by HallsofIvy
Not really. The main application of l2as well as general ln is as simpler sources of examples having the properites of Ln
So there's nothing you can do with l2? Don't get me wrong, I'm enough a (potential) pure mathematician to appreciate the elegance of l2 absent any applications, but it's be nice to have something.



ps,
Is there a list of code for the math symbols.
 
  • #4
Not in the strictest sence, no, but since every seperable Hilbert space is isomorfic to l², if you study this little guy you've studied them all, as my analysis professor so nicely said.

And since separable Hilbert-spaces are important in physics (like the aformentioned L²), it does have a use since some properties might be easier studied in l².
 

What is a Hilbert space?

A Hilbert space is a mathematical concept that refers to a vector space with an inner product defined on it. It is a generalization of Euclidean space and is used in various branches of mathematics, including quantum mechanics and functional analysis.

What are some common applications of Hilbert spaces?

Hilbert spaces have many applications in mathematics and physics. They are commonly used in quantum mechanics to describe the state of a physical system, in signal processing to analyze and filter signals, and in optimization problems to find the best solution to a given problem.

How do Hilbert spaces differ from other vector spaces?

Hilbert spaces have an inner product defined on them, which allows for a notion of length and angle between vectors. This is not the case for general vector spaces, which only have operations of addition and scalar multiplication defined on them.

What is the importance of orthonormal bases in Hilbert spaces?

Orthonormal bases are sets of vectors in a Hilbert space that are orthogonal (perpendicular) to each other and have a length of 1. They are important because they allow for a simple representation of vectors in the space and make calculations and proofs easier.

How is the concept of completeness related to Hilbert spaces?

Hilbert spaces are complete, meaning that every Cauchy sequence (a sequence of vectors that gets arbitrarily close to a limit) in the space converges to a unique vector in the space. This property is important for the existence and uniqueness of solutions in many applications.

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