imaginary reality II

[TIMOTHY WAGNER <twagner@ALLTEL.NET>]

May I pursue the Q about complex wave amplitudes a little differently (but it's still

pedagogy). Accepting that complex expressions are useful in handling phase in

electrical circuits, let's assume that students would know about 2-vector space,

one way or another, early on. My question, directed toward teachers of QM, is ...

when (chronologically) are students expected to understand that approaches to

the TISE must be via complex wave amplitude expressions (Aexp[i(kx-wt)])? And

how (where) is this expectation introduced to the student's sense of mind's-eye reality? In fact, is this possible in the first place? For example would one say..

"Students, you will have to learn a wave amplitude _expression_ quite different than

the one that models the surface of a ripple tank. No longer will y=Acos(kx) suffice; rather a complex wave (no picture)..etc..Later you'll see the practical reality"

                                                  sincerely            Tim Wagner