Orthogonal wavefunctions are defined as wavefunctions that represent mutually exclusive physical states, analogous to orthogonal vectors in Linear Algebra. The concept of orthogonality in this context is established through the use of an inner product, specifically the integral \(\int_a^b f(x)\overline{g(x)}dx\), which generalizes the dot product of Euclidean spaces. When the inner product of two wavefunctions equals zero, they are considered orthogonal, indicating that the corresponding physical states do not overlap.
PREREQUISITESStudents and professionals in physics, particularly those studying quantum mechanics, as well as mathematicians interested in the application of linear algebra concepts to physical systems.