2.2: Energy Function
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Of course the kinetic energy is 12mv2, with v=r
E=12mv2+V(r)
Actually, this form is not very convenient for quantum mechanics. We rather work with the so-called momentum variable p=mv. Then the energy functional takes the form
E=12p2m+V(r)
The energy expressed in terms of p and r is often called the (classical) Hamiltonian, and will be shown to have a clear quantum analog.