Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2019/ib/paper-4/6b/a/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2019 ib Paper 4 6B a Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-09-29
For a wavefunction , the probability density and probability current areMultiply the Schrodinger equation by , multiply its complex conjugate by , and subtract. The real potential energy terms cancel, leavingwhich is the probability continuity equation .
For a stationary state, , so and is constant in space. A normalizable wavefunction has vanishing current at spatial infinity, forcing this constant to be zero. By contrast the nonnormalizable plane wavehas stationary density and nonzero currentwhen .
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