How can I get the wave function

eoghan
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Hi! In every qm exercise I have the wave at time t=0 and I have to study its evolution in time. But experimentally, how can I get the wave function at time t=0? For example, if I am studying the motion of my car, how can I get its wave function?
 
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By solving the time independent Schrödinger equation.
 
kexue said:
By solving the time independent Schrödinger equation.

Please. The whole problem with quantum mechanics is that you can never get the wave function for t=0. It's fundamentally unknowable.
 
And so the problems like "given the wave function at time t=0..." aren't real?
How can I calculate the wave function associated with e.g. an electron?
Obviously I can't solve the Shrodinger equation, because to solve it I need the Fourier transform of the wave function in order to build the wave packet...
 

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Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
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Thread 'Quantum behaviour of an electron around a positively charged sphere'

If we release an electron around a positively charged sphere, the initial state of electron is a linear combination of Hydrogen-like states. According to quantum mechanics, evolution of time would not change this initial state because the potential is time independent. However, classically we expect the electron to collide with the sphere. So, it seems that the quantum and classics predict different behaviours!
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