Round 5: Tossup 3

This quantity’s operator appears in the exponential form of the time evolution operator. In the QHO, the eigenstates representing this quantity are separated by a factor of h-bar omega. This quantity’s operator contains two terms: h-bar squared over two-m times a second derivative, and V-of-x. In quantum mechanics, this quantity’s operator is (15[1])represented by the (*) Hamiltonian; thus, H acting on (10[1])psi equals this quantity times psi in the time-independent Schrodinger equation. The lowest value of this quantity in quantum mechanical (10[1])systems is the ground state. For 10 points, name this physical quantity, the sum of its kinetic and potential components. ■END■ (10[1])

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