This is the second in a series of youtube video's I am making.
Which I have chosen to name “Quantum Theory in Plain Language”.
In this particular video I give what I hope is a simple and
accurate explanation of Dirac's Bra-Ket Algebra. First I introduce
the concept of the ket and bra as representing quantum states. (Which
in the first video are defined as consisting of information
describing a physical system.) Then I define what in the video I call
a “ket space”. I make use of the average persons intuition from
high school algebra or geometry. In particular the concept of the 2D
(x,y) plain. Where the inner product
the simple dot product. Then I make the conceptual connection from
that to the spins of electrons with the convex combination forming a
ket space. Once that is done only at the end and as “extra credit”
do I make mention of any calculus.
In the video to follow I plan on explaining as simply as possible
the concept of an operator on a inner product space. I will term
unitary operators as “evolutions” and hermitian operators as
“observables”. I will also have to introduce the commutator.
Which will allow me to discuss the uncertainty principle in concrete
but simple terms that anyone with a quality 12th grade
education should be able to understand.
In case the youtube embed code does not show up for some reason here is a plain old link. Quantum Theory: Lesson two Bra-Ket Algebra
