There is a great series of videos on YouTube about quantum mechanics (which is one place where such concepts are used a lot). For the "why", the author says: "Because it works". In other words, it has been found that doing the calculations a certain way provides results that make sense, and that are consistent with observations.
Of course - as the same author points out - it took a genius to figure this out.
No, in general they do not. They have the same eigenvalues but not the same eigenvectors.
Yes. Simple example: a=(1 i) (-i 1) The eigenvalues of the Hermitean matrix a are 0 and 2 and the corresponding eigenvectors are (i -1) and (i 1). A Hermitean matrix always has real eigenvalues, but it can have complex eigenvectors.
Eigenvalues and eigenvectors are properties of a mathematical matrix.See related Wikipedia link for more details on what they are and some examples of how to use them for analysis.
An eigenvector is a vector which, when transformed by a given matrix, is merely multiplied by a scalar constant; its direction isn't changed. An eigenvalue, in this context, is the factor by which the eigenvector is multiplied when transformed.
This is the definition of eigenvectors and eigenvalues according to Wikipedia:Specifically, a non-zero column vector v is a (right) eigenvector of a matrix A if (and only if) there exists a number λ such that Av = λv. The number λ is called the eigenvalue corresponding to that vector. The set of all eigenvectors of a matrix, each paired with its corresponding eigenvalue, is called the eigensystemof that matrix
No, in general they do not. They have the same eigenvalues but not the same eigenvectors.
Yes. Simple example: a=(1 i) (-i 1) The eigenvalues of the Hermitean matrix a are 0 and 2 and the corresponding eigenvectors are (i -1) and (i 1). A Hermitean matrix always has real eigenvalues, but it can have complex eigenvectors.
Eigenvalues and eigenvectors are properties of a mathematical matrix.See related Wikipedia link for more details on what they are and some examples of how to use them for analysis.
An eigenvector is a vector which, when transformed by a given matrix, is merely multiplied by a scalar constant; its direction isn't changed. An eigenvalue, in this context, is the factor by which the eigenvector is multiplied when transformed.
This is the definition of eigenvectors and eigenvalues according to Wikipedia:Specifically, a non-zero column vector v is a (right) eigenvector of a matrix A if (and only if) there exists a number λ such that Av = λv. The number λ is called the eigenvalue corresponding to that vector. The set of all eigenvectors of a matrix, each paired with its corresponding eigenvalue, is called the eigensystemof that matrix
Yes, similar matrices have the same eigenvalues.
Eigenvectors and eigenvalues are important for understanding the properties of expander graphs, which I understand to have several applications in computer science (such as derandomizing random algorithms). They also give rise to a graph partitioning algorithm. Perhaps the most famous application, however, is to Google's PageRank algorithm.
In linear algebra, there is an operation that you can do to a matrix called a linear transformation that will get you answers called eigenvalues and eigenvectors. They are to complicated to explain in this forum assuming that you haven't studied them yet, but their usefulness is everywhere in science and math, specifically quantum mechanics. By finding the eigenvalues to certain equations, one can come up with the energy levels of hydrogen, or the possible spins of an electron. You really need to be familiar with matrices, algebra, and calculus though before you start dabbling in linear algebra.
Jan R. Magnus has written: 'Linear structures' -- subject(s): Matrices 'The bias of forecasts from a first-order autoregression' 'The exact multiperiod mean-square forecast error for the first-order autoregressive model with an intercept' 'On differentiating Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors' 'The exact moments of a ratio of quadratic forms in normal variables' 'Symmetry, 0-1 matrices, and Jacobians'
It is true that diagonalizable matrices A and B commute if and only if they are simultaneously diagonalizable. This result can be found in standard texts (e.g. Horn and Johnson, Matrix Analysis, 1999, Theorem 1.3.12.) One direction of the if and only if proof is straightforward, but the other direction is more technical: If A and B are diagonalizable matrices of the same order, and have the same eigenvectors, then, without loss of generality, we can write their diagonalizations as A = VDV-1 and B = VLV-1, where V is the matrix composed of the basis eigenvectors of A and B, and D and L are diagonal matrices with the corresponding eigenvalues of A and B as their diagonal elements. Since diagonal matrices commute, DL = LD. So, AB = VDV-1VLV-1 = VDLV-1 = VLDV-1 = VLV-1VDV-1 = BA. The reverse is harder to prove, but one online proof is given below as a related link. The proof in Horn and Johnson is clear and concise. Consider the particular case that B is the identity, I. If A = VDV-1 is a diagonalization of A, then I = VIV-1 is a diagonalization of I; i.e., A and I have the same eigenvectors.
Call your matrix A, the eigenvalues are defined as the numbers e for which a nonzero vector v exists such that Av = ev. This is equivalent to requiring (A-eI)v=0 to have a non zero solution v, where I is the identity matrix of the same dimensions as A. A matrix A-eI with this property is called singular and has a zero determinant. The determinant of A-eI is a polynomial in e, which has the eigenvalues of A as roots. Often setting this polynomial to zero and solving for e is the easiest way to compute the eigenvalues of A.
The eigenvalues of an electron in a three-dimensional potential well can be derived by solving the Schrödinger equation for the system. This involves expressing the Laplacian operator in spherical coordinates, applying boundary conditions at the boundaries of the well, and solving the resulting differential equation. The eigenvalues correspond to the energy levels of the electron in the potential well.