Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around plotting a complex wavefunction in Matlab, specifically for a linear combination of finite energy eigenfunctions of the infinite square well. Participants explore how to represent the wavefunction as a function of time for a fixed position.
Discussion Character
- Technical explanation
- Mathematical reasoning
Main Points Raised
- One participant inquires about plotting a complex function of the form Ψ(t) involving known eigenvalues and energy terms.
- Another participant questions whether the "+...+" indicates an infinite series, suggesting that only significant terms should be plotted.
- A participant clarifies that the "+...+" was not meant to indicate an infinite series but rather other arbitrary terms in a finite linear combination.
- Discussion includes the representation of the wavefunction as either real and imaginary parts or modulus and phase, leading to different types of plots.
- One participant seeks guidance on how to plot both real-imaginary and modulus-phase representations in Matlab.
- A later reply provides Matlab commands to access the real part, imaginary part, modulus, and phase of a complex number.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants generally agree on the need to represent the wavefunction in different forms for plotting, but there is no consensus on the implications of the "+...+" notation or the significance of terms in the series.
Contextual Notes
There are limitations regarding the assumptions about the number of terms in the wavefunction and the significance of each term for plotting purposes, which remain unresolved.