Introduction to Quantum Mechanics · Problem A.16

Afterword — David J. Griffiths

Physics — Quantum Mechanics · changing-bases

Problem

Show that similarity preserves matrix multiplication (that is, if AeBe=Ce\mathsf{A}^e \mathsf{B}^e = \mathsf{C}^e, then AfBf=Cf\mathsf{A}^f \mathsf{B}^f = \mathsf{C}^f). Similarity does not, in general, preserve symmetry, reality, or hermiticity; show, however, that if S\mathsf{S} is unitary, and He\mathsf{H}^e is hermitian, then Hf\mathsf{H}^f is hermitian. Show that S\mathsf{S} carries an orthonormal basis into another orthonormal basis if and only if it is unitary.

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