What is meant by the completeness of eigenfunctions?

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SUMMARY

The completeness of eigenfunctions refers to a set of eigenfunctions that forms a basis for a vector space, particularly in the context of self-adjoint operators. In the equation AX(x) = BX(x), A represents the operator, B denotes the eigenvalue, and X(x) is the eigenfunction. A complete set of eigenfunctions ensures that any function within the vector space can be expressed as a linear combination of these eigenfunctions, which is crucial for solving differential equations and other mathematical problems.

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  • Understanding of linear operators and eigenvalues
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  • Knowledge of self-adjoint operators in functional analysis
  • Basic concepts of differential equations and their solutions
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Homework Statement



What is meant by the completeness of eigenfunctions?


The Attempt at a Solution



I understand the AX(x)=BX(x) where A is the operator, B is the eigenvalue and X(x) the eigenfunction.

I cannot find anywhere anything on what is meant by the completeness of eigenfunctions. Any idea?
 
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A "complete" set of eigenvectors (called eigenfunctions if you vector space is a space of functions) is a set of eigenvectors that forms a basis for the vector space. In particular, "self adjoint" operators always have a complete set of eigenvectors.
 

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