Scribd
Upload
22 views3 pages

Am1 Ex3

This document contains an example sheet with 7 multi-part physics and mathematics problems. The problems cover topics like vector transformations between coordinate systems, constructing orthonormal bases, matrix operations, and evaluating commutation relations.

Uploaded by

CH Y
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
22 views3 pages

Am1 Ex3

This document contains an example sheet with 7 multi-part physics and mathematics problems. The problems cover topics like vector transformations between coordinate systems, constructing orthonormal bases, matrix operations, and evaluating commutation relations.

Uploaded by

CH Y
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Applied Mathematics I Physics Department, National Taiwan University

Professor Jiun-Huei Proty Wu Semester 112-2 (Spring 2024)

Example Sheet 3

1. Consider a vector 𝒗 = (1,2,3) in 𝑅3 . Now we define a new coordinate system


where the three unit vectors (the new basis) along the three axes are 𝑒̂1′ ≡ |𝑒1′ ⟩ =
(1/√3, 1/√3, 1/√3), 𝑒̂2′ ≡ |𝑒2′ ⟩ = (−1/√3, 1/√3, 1/√3), 𝑒̂3′ ≡ |𝑒3′ ⟩ =
⟨𝑒1′ |
(0, −1/√2, 1/√2). We also define 𝑵 = (⟨𝑒2′ |). Answer the following questions.
⟨𝑒3′ |
(a) What are the new coordinates 𝒗′ of 𝒗 in this new coordinate system?
(b) Compute 𝑵𝒗. This is the righthand side of equation (2) in section 4.1 of the
lecture notes.
(c) If we write 𝒗′ = 𝑴𝒗, then what is 𝑴?
(d) Compute |𝑵| and |𝑴|.
(e) Compute Tr(𝑵) and Tr(𝑴).
(f) Is 𝑵 orthogonal? (hint: orthogonality condition)
(g) Is 𝑴 orthogonal? (hint: orthogonality condition)
(h) What is |𝒗|?
(i) What is |𝒗′|?

2. For the same 𝒗 = (1,2,3) in 𝑅3 , consider another new coordinate system where
the three unit vectors (the new basis) along the three new axes are 𝑒̂1′ = (𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐 ),
1 1
𝑒̂2′ = (−𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐 ), 𝑒̂3′ = (0, − , ), and 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐 > 0. We define 𝑵 in the same
√2 √2
way, and we already know that 𝑵 is orthogonal. Find 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐.

3. Construction of orthonormal basis (Gram–Schmidt process)


This is an exercise to construct a set of orthonormal basis {|𝒆𝒊 ⟩} (i=1…N) from a
given set of non-orthogonal basis {|𝒙𝒊 ⟩} in C 𝑵 . As instructed during the lectures,
the process is the following:
(i) Normalise the first vector to obtain |𝒆𝟏 ⟩ = |𝒙𝟏 ⟩/||𝒙𝟏 ⟩|.
(ii) Remove the projected components of the previous |𝒆𝒋 ⟩ (j=1… i-1) from
|𝒙𝒊 ⟩:
|𝒙𝒊 ′⟩ = |𝒙𝒊 ⟩ − ⟨𝒆𝒋 |𝒙𝒊 ⟩|𝒆𝒋 ⟩ (Einstein summation has been used here.)
(iii) Normalise this result to obtain |𝒆𝒊 ⟩:
|𝒆𝒊 ⟩ = |𝒙𝒊 ′⟩/||𝒙𝒊 ′⟩|
(iv) Repeat steps (ii) and (iii) until i = N.
Here are some practical exercises for you:
(a) Consider a vector space in R𝟒 . Given a set of basis |𝒙𝟏 ⟩ = (1, 1, 0, 0), |𝒙𝟐 ⟩ =
(0, 1, 1, 0), |𝒙𝟑 ⟩ = (0, 0, 1, 1), |𝒙𝟒 ⟩ = (0, 0, 0, 1), use the above method to
find a set of orthonormal basis, where |𝒆𝟏 ⟩ = (1/√2, 1/√2, 0, 0)
(b) Consider a vector space in C 𝟐 . Given a set of basis |𝒙𝟏 ⟩ = (1, −𝑖 ), |𝒙𝟐 ⟩ =
(𝑖, 𝑖 ), use the above method to find a set of orthonormal basis.
(c) For a vector space in C 𝑵 , in step (ii) of the above method, can we choose
|𝒙𝒊 ′⟩ = |𝒙𝒊 ⟩ − ⟨𝒙𝒊 |𝒆𝒋 ⟩|𝒆𝒋 ⟩? And why? (hint: multiply both sides with ⟨𝒆𝑘 |
where 𝑘 < 𝑖.)

4. Transformation of coordinate system


Consider an 𝑅3 vector space. A vector defined with an orthonormal basis is 𝒗 =
(1, 1, 0). Its new coordinates in the transformed space (coordinate system) is 𝒗′ =
𝑴𝒗 = (1, −1, 0), where 𝑴 is the transformation matrix for the coordinate
system. Answer the following questions.
(a) If the transformation of coordinate system was done through the Euler matrix,
i.e. 𝑴 = 𝑹𝑧 (𝛾)𝑹𝑦 (𝛽)𝑹𝑧 (𝛼), where 𝛼, 𝛾 ∈ [−𝜋, 𝜋] and 𝛽 ∈ [0, 𝜋], how
many possible sets of (𝛼, 𝛽, 𝛾) are there?
(b) Following (a), if 𝛼 = 0, what are the two possible sets of (𝛽, 𝛾)? And what
are the matrices 𝑴 corresponding to these two cases?
(c) If the transformation was done through two successive reflections of 𝑶𝟏 and
𝑶𝟐 , i.e. 𝑴 = 𝑶𝟐 𝑶𝟏 , and 𝑶𝟏 has a unit normal of (0, 𝑏, 𝑐) where 𝑏, 𝑐 ∈ 𝑅,
find 𝑶𝟐 .

5. Consider the following four matrices:


1 0 1 −𝑖 𝑖 1
𝐀=( ),𝑩 = ( ),𝑪 = ( ) , 𝑫 = 𝑩 ⊗ 𝑪.
0 1 𝑖 𝑖 1 1
(a) Which of these are Hermitian?
(b) Which of these are unitary?
(c) Which of these are normal?

1 −1 𝑔11 𝑔12
6. Given 𝑭 = ( ), 𝑮 = (𝑔 𝑔22 ), Tr(𝑮) = 2, G is Hermitian, and
−3 1 21

[𝑭, 𝑮] = 𝟎, find G.

𝑎 𝑑 𝑒 𝑗 𝑚 𝑛
7. Given 𝑨 = [𝑑 ∗ 𝑏 𝑓 ] and 𝑩 = [𝑚∗ 𝑘 𝑜 ], where 𝑎, 𝑏, 𝑐, 𝑗, 𝑘, 𝑙 ∈ 𝑅 and
𝑒∗ 𝑓∗ 𝑐 𝑛∗ 𝑜∗ 𝑙
are all different. All the other components are complex numbers.
(a) If 𝑑 = 𝑒 = 𝑓 = 0, and 𝑨 and 𝑩 commute (i.e. [𝑨, 𝑩] = 𝟎, or 𝑨𝑩 = 𝑩𝑨),
find m and n.
𝑝𝑖 3 4𝑖
(b) If [𝑨, 𝑩] = ( 𝑠 𝑞 + 2𝑖 5 ) where 𝑝, 𝑞, 𝑟 ∈ 𝑅, find p and s .
𝑡 𝑢 𝑟+𝑖
(c) If 𝑨 and 𝑩 are both unitary, 𝑨 ≠ 𝑩, and they anti-commute (i.e. 𝑨𝑩 =
−𝑩𝑨), find (𝑎 + 𝑏 + 𝑐) and (𝑗 + 𝑘 + 𝑙).

You might also like