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Projection Operators

Keywords: Quantum Mechanics, Spins, Vector Products, Quantum Operators

spprojectionoperators.jpg

Highlights of the activity

  1. Students work in groups to calculate the outer product of a vector on itself and determine the transformation caused by the resulting matrix.

Reasons to spend class time on the activity

Students require practice multiplying matrices and vectors, including an outer product of vectors in a matrix representation. It is also helpful for students to study projection operators to understand the collapse of a quantum state during a measurement.

Reflections

Instructor's Guide

Student Handouts

spprojectionoperatorshand.doc

spprojectionoperatorshand.pdf


Authors: Elizabeth Gire
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