3. The Schrodinger equation actually isn’t valid, so there’s certainly no way that we proved it.

Consistent with the above point concerning limiting cases, the quantum theory based on
Schrodinger’s equation is just a limiting theory of a more correct one, which happens to be
quantum field theory (which unifies quantum mechanics with special relativity). This is turn must
be a limiting theory of yet another more correct one, because it doesn’t incorporate gravity.
Eventually there will be one theory that covers everything (although this point can be debated),
but we’re definitely not there yet. Due to the “i” that appears in Eq. (6), ψ(x) is complex. And in
contrast with waves in classical mechanics, the entire complex function now matters in quantum
mechanics. We won’t be taking the real part in the end. Up to this point in the book, the use of
complex functions was simply a matter of convenience, because it is easier to work with
exponentials than trig functions. Only the real part mattered (or imaginary part – take your pick,
but not both). But in quantum mechanics the whole complex wavefunction is relevant. However,
the theory is structured in such a way that anything you might want to measure (position,
momentum, energy, etc.) will always turn out to be a real quantity. This is a necessary feature of
any valid theory, of course, because you’re not going to go out and measure a distance of 2 + 5i
meters, or pay an electrical bill of 17 + 6i kilowatt hours. As mentioned in the introduction to this
chapter, there is an endl