Homework Assignment 1 – PHY 6645 – Fall 2010

(due Friday, September 3 at 6 PM in the grader’s mailbox)

This homework assignment is designed to provide some concrete examples to the abstract
mathematics we have been covering in class. For this assignment, you should do the algebra by hand
rather than use any computer software (such as Maple or Matlab). Remember, on quizzes and exams, you
will not get to use a computer so it is important to be able to do the simple cases by hand. As always, you
should clearly explain and show your work in order to receive full credit. Also, be sure to reference any
individuals you have worked with or who have helped you in completing this assignment. (You do not
need to reference me!)

⎡0⎤ ⎡1 ⎤ ⎡1 ⎤
1. Consider 3 vectors given by I = ⎢1 ⎥ , II = ⎢0 ⎥ , III = ⎢⎢1 ⎥⎥ .
⎢ ⎥ ⎢ ⎥
⎢⎣1 ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣1 ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣ 0⎥⎦
a. Are these vectors linear independent? Why?
b. What is the dual basis to the basis set { I , II , III }?
c. Use Gram-Schmidt to make an orthonormal set of vectors from {I , II , III }.

2. Consider the set of analytic, real-valued functions defined on the interval [a,b].
a. Prove that this set of functions forms a vector space with scalar multiplication by real
numbers.
b. Define the inner product of the two vectors in this space as:
b
f g = ∫a
dx f ( x) g ( x) W ( x)
where W(x) is a positive, real-valued weighting function. Prove that this definition
satisfies the three basic properties of an inner product.
c. Take the interval to be ( −∞, ∞ ) and the weighting function to be W ( x) = exp(− x 2 ) . A
set of basis functions for this space are the functions f n ( x) = x n for n = 0, 1, 2, …….
Use the Gram-Schmidt process to make linear combinations of the n = 0, 1, 2, 3
functions so that they are orthonormal. The polynomials generated this way are
proportional to the Hermite Polynomials.
∞

∫
2
Hint: You can evaluate the integrals by first evaluating I = dy exp − y by computing
−∞
∞
I 2 = ∫ dx dy exp(−( x 2 + y 2 )) = ∫ 2π r dr exp(− r 2 ) . Then use even/odd symmetry of the
0
2

2m − y2 d m e −α y
integral together with the relation: y e = (−1) m
.
dα m α =1

Note that by using other intervals (together with different weighting function, W(x)) one can use
the Gram-Schmidt process to generate other polynomials such as Laguerre, Legendre or
Chebyshev.