First off, let’s define what we mean by “linear momentum” in quantum land. In classical physics, it’s just the product of mass and velocity (p = mv). However, in quantum mechanics, things are a bit more complicated. Instead of having a definite position and velocity like in classical physics, particles have probability distributions for their positions and momenta.

So how do we calculate linear momentum in this weird new world? Well, it turns out that the operator for linear momentum is just -iħ (where ħ is Planck’s constant divided by 2π). This might seem like a bunch of gibberish to you right now, but trust us it works! And when we apply this operator to our wave function, we get something called the “momentum eigenstate” which tells us how likely it is for a particle to have a certain momentum.

Now that we’ve got all of that out of the way, conservation of linear momentum. In classical physics, this means that if you add up the momenta of two objects before and after they collide, they should be equal (p1 + p2 = p3). But in quantum mechanics, things are a bit more complicated because we have to take into account the fact that particles can exist in superposition states.

So how do we calculate conservation of linear momentum in this weird new world? Well, it turns out that if you add up the momenta of two systems before and after they interact (which is what happens during a collision), the total momentum should be conserved! This might seem like a no-brainer to some of you, but trust us it’s not as simple as it sounds.

In fact, there are all sorts of weird quantum effects that can mess with conservation of linear momentum (like tunneling and entanglement). Instead, let’s just enjoy the beauty of this strange new world and marvel at how it defies our classical intuition!

It might seem like a simple concept, but trust us it’s anything but! And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll be able to harness the power of these weird quantum effects and use them for our own nefarious purposes (or maybe just to make some really cool gadgets). Until then, keep exploring this strange new world with us and let your mind be blown by all its wonders!