Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2009/ib/paper-3/7b/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ib Paper 3 7B Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
Hermiticity of the Hamiltonian operator gives , soThe distinct eigenvalues force orthogonality for , and the given normalization gives one for . Therefore .
Under the time-independent Schrödinger equation, each energy component acquires its own phase:The sum converges in the state Hilbert space because the squared coefficients are summable. Orthogonality makes its squared norm at every time.
The Born rule for energy measurement givesBoth depend only on squared coefficient magnitudes, so both are time-independent. The expectation follows either by summing energy times measurement probability or by inserting the orthogonal expansion in the quadratic form of .
Normalization alone does not guarantee a finite mean for an arbitrary spectrum. The displayed energy series is finite when . Since the spectrum is bounded below by , a divergent positive tail gives an extended expectation , still independent of time; for example an abstract diagonal Hamiltonian with has this property. No growth assumption on is printed, so finiteness should not be asserted without this qualification.
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