Special Functions

An overview of special functions, focusing on the hypergeometric functions and the associated hypergeometric series.

This book, written by a highly distinguished author, provides the required mathematical tools for researchers active in the physical sciences. The book presents a full suit of elementary functions for scholars at PhD level. The opening chapter introduces elementary classical special functions. The final chapter is devoted to the discussion of functions of matrix argument in the real case. The text and exercises have been class-tested over five different years.

Contains the various principal special functions in common use and their basic properties and manipulations. Discusses expansions of functions in infinite series and infinite product and the asymptotic expansion of functions. For physicists, engineers, and mathematicians. Acidic paper. Paper edition (unseen), $38. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This book gives an introduction to the classical, well-known special functions which play a role in mathematical physics, especially in boundary value problems. Calculus and complex function theory form the basis of the book and numerous formulas are given. Particular attention is given to asymptomatic and numerical aspects of special functions, with numerous references to recent literature provided.

Physics, chemistry, and engineering undergraduates will benefit from this straightforward guide to special functions. Its topics possess wide applications in quantum mechanics, electrical engineering, and many other fields. 1968 edition. Includes 25 figures.

This handbook focuses on special functions in physics in the real and complex domain. It covers more than 170 different functions with additional numerical hints for efficient computation, which are useful to anyone who needs to program with other programming languages as well. The book comes with MATLAB-based programs for each of these functions and a detailed html-based documentation. Some of the explained functions are: Gamma and Beta functions; Legendre functions, which are linked to quantum mechanics and electrodynamics; Bessel functions; hypergeometric functions, which play an important role in mathematical physics; orthogonal polynomials, which are largely used in computational physics; and Riemann zeta functions, which play an important role, e.g., in quantum chaos or string theory. The book’s primary audience are scientists, professionals working in research areas of industries, and advanced students in physics, applied mathematics, and engineering.

Bessel functions are associated with a wide range of problems in important areas of mathematical physics. Bessel function theory is applied to problems of acoustics, radio physics, hydrodynamics, and atomic and nuclear physics. Bessel Functions and Their Applications consists of two parts. In Part One, the author presents a clear and rigorous intro

Computation of Special Functions is a valuable book/software package containing more than 100 original computer programs for the computation of most special functions currently in use. These include many functions commonly omitted from available software packages, such as the Bessel and modified Bessel functions, the Mathieu and modified Mathieu functions, parabolic cylinder functions, and various prolate and oblate spheroidal wave functions. Also, unlike most software packages, this book/disk set gives readers the latitude to modify programs according to the special demands of the sophisticated problems they are working on. The authors provide detailed descriptions of the program's algorithms as well as specific information about each program's internal structure.

With students of Physics chiefly in mind, we have collected the material on special functions that is most important in mathematical physics and quan tum mechanics. We have not attempted to provide the most extensive collec tion possible of information about special functions, but have set ourselves the task of finding an exposition which, based on a unified approach, ensures the possibility of applying the theory in other natural sciences, since it pro vides a simple and effective method for the independent solution of problems that arise in practice in physics, engineering and mathematics. For the American edition we have been able to improve a number of proofs; in particular, we have given a new proof of the basic theorem (§3). This is the fundamental theorem of the book; it has now been extended to cover difference equations of hypergeometric type (§§12, 13). Several sections have been simplified and contain new material. We believe that this is the first time that the theory of classical or thogonal polynomials of a discrete variable on both uniform and nonuniform lattices has been given such a coherent presentation, together with its various applications in physics.

This book presents calculation methods that are used in both mathematical and theoretical physics. These methods will allow readers to work with selected special functions and more generally with differential equations, which are the most frequently used in quantum mechanics, theory of relativity and quantum field theory. The authors explain various approximation methods used to solve differential equations and to estimate integrals. They also address the basics of the relations between differential equations, special functions and representation theory of some of the simplest algebras on the one hand, and fundamental physics on the other. Based on a seminar for graduate physics students, the book offers a compact and quick way to learn about special functions. To gain the most from it, readers should be familiar with the basics of calculus, linear algebra, and complex analysis, as well as the basic methods used to solve differential equations and calculate integrals.