Kamiltonian

//ˌkæmɪlˈtəʊ.ni.ən// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A second Hamiltonian, denoted by K, resulting from the canonical transformation of a given Hamiltonian.

    "[…]gives the transformed Hamiltonian (the Kamiltonian)[…]. However, it is clear that (2.108) are not the canonical equations corresponding to the Kamiltonian (2.111)."

Example

More examples

"[…]gives the transformed Hamiltonian (the Kamiltonian)[…]. However, it is clear that (2.108) are not the canonical equations corresponding to the Kamiltonian (2.111)."

Etymology

Blend of K + Hamiltonian; apparently popularised by a jocular comment in the textbook Classical Mechanics by Herbert Goldstein (first published 1950). "It has been remarked in a jocular vein that if H stands for the Hamiltonian, K must stand for the Kamiltonian! Of course K is every bit as much a Hamiltonian as H, but the designation is occasionally a convenient substitute for the longer term "transformed Hamiltonian""

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.