Update
The Oxford Biblical Studies Online and Oxford Islamic Studies Online have retired. Content you previously purchased on Oxford Biblical Studies Online or Oxford Islamic Studies Online has now moved to Oxford Reference, Oxford Handbooks Online, Oxford Scholarship Online, or What Everyone Needs to Know®. For information on how to continue to view articles visit the subscriber services page.
Dismiss

Related Content

More Like This

Show all results sharing these subjects:

  • Science and technology
  • Chemistry

GO

Show Summary Details

Overview

Hamiltonian


Quick Reference

Symbol H. A function used to express the energy of a system in terms of its momentum and positional coordinates. In simple cases this is the sum of its kinetic and potential energies. In Hamiltonian equations, the usual equations used in mechanics (based on forces) are replaced by equations expressed in terms of momenta. This method of formulating mechanics (Hamiltonian mechanics) was first introduced by Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805–65). The Hamiltonian operator is used in quantum mechanics in the Schrödinger equation.


Reference entries