The wavefunction ψ is complex-valued and cannot be read directly; what an instrument records is |ψ|², the probability density of finding the particle. In an infinite well, level n always carries exactly n−1 nodes and its energy climbs as n², so the levels spread further apart the higher you go. A harmonic oscillator does the opposite, with evenly spaced rungs; a finite well lets the wavefunction leak past the walls; and superposing n=1 with n=2 sets the probability cloud sloshing at the beat frequency of the two energies.
The wavefunction ψ is complex-valued and cannot be read directly; what an instrument records is |ψ|², the probability density of finding the particle. In an infinite well, level n always carries exactly n−1 nodes and its energy climbs as n², so the levels spread further apart the higher you go. A harmonic oscillator does the opposite, with evenly spaced rungs; a finite well lets the wavefunction leak past the walls; and superposing n=1 with n=2 sets the probability cloud sloshing at the beat frequency of the two energies.
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