What Distinguishes Hilbert Spaces from Euclidean Spaces?

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SUMMARY

The discussion clarifies the distinctions between Hilbert spaces and Euclidean spaces, emphasizing that while Euclidean space is a finite-dimensional Hilbert space, not all Hilbert spaces are infinite-dimensional. Key points include that a Hilbert space is defined as a complete inner product space, and it can be either finite or infinite dimensional. The conversation also highlights specific properties of finite-dimensional Hilbert spaces, such as every bounded sequence having a convergent subsequence, which does not necessarily hold in infinite-dimensional spaces. The participants express concerns about the teaching of these concepts in quantum mechanics courses, where Hilbert spaces are often inaccurately described.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of inner product spaces
  • Familiarity with the concept of completeness in metric spaces
  • Knowledge of finite-dimensional vector spaces
  • Basic principles of functional analysis
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the properties of complete inner product spaces
  • Learn about the differences between finite-dimensional and infinite-dimensional spaces
  • Explore the concept of Schauder bases in separable Hilbert spaces
  • Investigate the implications of Cauchy sequences in metric spaces
USEFUL FOR

Mathematicians, physicists, and students of quantum mechanics seeking a deeper understanding of the foundational concepts of Hilbert and Euclidean spaces, particularly in the context of functional analysis and quantum theory.

  • #31
ajayguhan said:
So we can say that hilbert space is a a inner product vector space which can be of finite or infinite dimension.if it's finite we can call it as eucledian space...?

Another question

Every vector space where inner product is defined is a hilbert space...is it True ?

No; you need to have a specific relationship between the inner-product and the metric:

the inner-product needs to generate the norm ( and so generate the metric which is itself

generated by the norm.). The space has to be complete under this norm, altho a metric space is,

in a sense, as good as a complete metric space, since it has a completion (tho it is a nice exercise to show that the completion preserves the fact that the metric is generated by the inner-product.)

This happens iff the inner-product satisfies the parallelogram law;

out of all $$L^p$$ and $$l^p$$ spaces, only p=2 gives you a Hilbert space.

See, e.g:

http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/294544/parallelogram-law-valid-in-banach-spaces
 
Last edited:

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