Demonstration [L_i,x_j]= ε_ijk x_k

  • Thread starter Thread starter ebol
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Demonstration
AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around demonstrating the commutation relation [L_i, x_j] = iħε_ijk x_k. The user initially miscalculated the expression, leading to a result of (ħ/i)ε_ijk x_j. Through clarification, it was pointed out that the factor of (1/i) can be rewritten as i, due to the properties of the Levi-Civita symbol ε_ijk and the commutation of indices. This realization helped the user arrive at the correct solution. The exchange highlights the importance of understanding the algebraic properties of the symbols involved.
ebol
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Hi!
I have to show that
[L_i,x_j]= i \hbar \varepsilon_{ijk} x_k

but my result is different, I'm definitely making a mistake :confused:
ok I wrote
L_i = \varepsilon_{ijk} x_j p_k
then
[L_i,x_l]= \varepsilon_{ijk} ( [x_j p_k , x_l] ) = \varepsilon_{ijk} ( {x_j [p_k , x_l] + [x_j , x_l] p_k } ) = \varepsilon_{ijk} ( {x_j [p_k , x_l] } ) =

= \varepsilon_{ijk} ( {x_j \frac{\hbar}{i} δ_{kl} } ) = \frac{\hbar}{i} \varepsilon_{ijk} {x_j }

can anyone tell me where I'm wrong? :frown:
thanks anyway! :smile:
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
welcome to pf!

hi ebol! welcome to pf! :smile:
ebol said:
I have to show that
[L_i,x_j]= i \hbar \varepsilon_{ijk} x_k

= \frac{\hbar}{i} \varepsilon_{ijk} {x_j }

but \frac{1}{i} \varepsilon_{ijk} {x_j } = i \varepsilon_{ijk} x_k :wink:
 
ah!
and why? :)
Because the indices j and k commute and changes the sign?
 
yup! :biggrin:

that's what ε does!​
 
thank you very much!
I arrived at the solution but I did not know :D
 
he he :biggrin:
 
Seemingly by some mathematical coincidence, a hexagon of sides 2,2,7,7, 11, and 11 can be inscribed in a circle of radius 7. The other day I saw a math problem on line, which they said came from a Polish Olympiad, where you compute the length x of the 3rd side which is the same as the radius, so that the sides of length 2,x, and 11 are inscribed on the arc of a semi-circle. The law of cosines applied twice gives the answer for x of exactly 7, but the arithmetic is so complex that the...
Is it possible to arrange six pencils such that each one touches the other five? If so, how? This is an adaption of a Martin Gardner puzzle only I changed it from cigarettes to pencils and left out the clues because PF folks don’t need clues. From the book “My Best Mathematical and Logic Puzzles”. Dover, 1994.
Thread 'Imaginary Pythagoras'
I posted this in the Lame Math thread, but it's got me thinking. Is there any validity to this? Or is it really just a mathematical trick? Naively, I see that i2 + plus 12 does equal zero2. But does this have a meaning? I know one can treat the imaginary number line as just another axis like the reals, but does that mean this does represent a triangle in the complex plane with a hypotenuse of length zero? Ibix offered a rendering of the diagram using what I assume is matrix* notation...
Back
Top