Course Name: MATHEMATICS-III

Course No: MATH F 211

Lecture-4

Dr. Minhajul
Department of Mathematics
BITS Pilani, K. K. Birla Goa Campus
Goa, India
 Some Special Functions of
Mathematical Physics
I Legendre Polynomials

Minhajul, Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.

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Summary of the last class
I The Legendre Equation

(1 − x 2 )y 00 − 2xy 0 + n(n + 1)y = 0 (1)

I The solutions which are bounded near x = 1 is given by

 1−x
y (x) = cF − n, n + 1, 1,
2
I The solutions are bounded near x = 1 are precisely constant multiplies of the
polynomial
 1−x
F − n, n + 1, 1,
2

Minhajul, Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.

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Legendre Polynomials
The nth Legendre polynomial is denoted by Pn (x) and defined by
 
1−x
Pn (x) = F −n, n + 1, 1,
2
(−n)(n + 1) 1 − x
=1+
(1!)2 2
 2
(−n)(−n + 1)(n + 1)(n + 2) 1 − x
+ + ···
(2!)2 2
(−n)(−n + 1)...[−n + (n − 1)](n + 1)(n + 2) · · · (n + n) 1 − x n
 

(n!)2 2
We can re-write the polynomial as
n(n + 1) n(n − 1)(n + 1)(n + 2) (2n)!
Pn (x) = 1+ (x −1)+ (x −1)2 +· · ·+ n (x −1)n .
2(1!)2 22 (2!)2 2 (n!)2
(2)

Minhajul, Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.

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Legendre Polynomials
The nth Legendre polynomial is denoted by Pn (x) and defined by
 
1−x
Pn (x) = F −n, n + 1, 1,
2
(−n)(n + 1) 1 − x
=1+
(1!)2 2
 2
(−n)(−n + 1)(n + 1)(n + 2) 1 − x
+ + ···
(2!)2 2
(−n)(−n + 1)...[−n + (n − 1)](n + 1)(n + 2) · · · (n + n) 1 − x n
 

(n!)2 2
We can re-write the polynomial as
n(n + 1) n(n − 1)(n + 1)(n + 2) (2n)!
Pn (x) = 1+ (x −1)+ (x −1)2 +· · ·+ n (x −1)n .
2(1!)2 22 (2!)2 2 (n!)2
(2)

I Formula (2) is still very inconvenient to use in studying the properties of Pn (x)
I We look for something simpler form of Pn (x).

Minhajul, Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.

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Rodrigues’ Formula

The nth Legendre polynomial is a polynomial of degree n satisfying the

Legendre’s equation with Pn (1) = 1. This is given by the Rodrigues’ formula
1 dn 2
Pn (x) = (x − 1)n (3)
2n n! dx n

I Any polynomial of degree n satisfying Legendre equation

(1 − x 2 )y 00 − 2xy 0 + n(n + 1)y = 0

with Pn (1) = 1 is called Legendre polynomial.

I Show that the polynomial y (x) = Pn (x) satisfying (3) is a solution of the
Legendre equation.
I Hints: Use Leibnitz’s rule for higher order derivative

Minhajul, Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.

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Legendre Polynomials
I The formula (3) provides relatively easy method for computing the successive
Legendre polynomials.
I Some of the first few Legendre Polynomials
1 1
P0 (x) = 1, P1 (x) = x, P2 (x) = 2
(3x 2 − 1), P3 (x) = 2
(5x 3 − 3x)
I Can we further simplify it?

Minhajul, Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.

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Legendre Polynomials
I The formula (3) provides relatively easy method for computing the successive
Legendre polynomials.
I Some of the first few Legendre Polynomials
1 1
P0 (x) = 1, P1 (x) = x, P2 (x) = 2
(3x 2 − 1), P3 (x) = 2
(5x 3 − 3x)
I Can we further simplify it?
I We derive a recursion formula.

Minhajul, Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.

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Generating Function and Recursion Formula
The function on the left side of
1
p = P0 (x) + P1 (x)t + P2 (x)t 2 + ... + Pn (x)t n + ... (4)
1 − 2xt + t 2
is called the generating function of Legendre Polynomials.

Problems
Assume that the relation (4) is true.
(a) Verify that Pn (1) = 1 and Pn (−1) = (−1)n
1.3...(2n−1)
(b) Show that P2n+1 (0) = 0 and P2n (0) = (−1)n 2n n!

(c) Prove the recursion formula

(n + 1)Pn+1 (x) = (2n + 1)xPn (x) − nPn−1 (x) (5)

Minhajul, Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.

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Properties of Legendre polynomial

Orthogonality
The most important property of the Legendre polynomials

P0 (x), P1 (x), P2 (x), ...Pn (x), ...


Z 1 0 if m 6= n
Pm (x)Pn (x) = (6)
−1 2

2n+1
if m = n.
Therefore, Legendre polynomials forms an orthogonal sequence of functions in the
interval [−1, 1].

Minhajul, Department of Mathematics, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, Goa, India.

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