(2012-02-15) A family of commuting polynomial functions. TnTp = TpTn = Tnp
cos(n) is a polynomialfunction of cos(). The following relation defines a polynomial of degree nknown as theChebyshev polynomial of degree n:
cos (n) = Tn(cos )
The trigonometric formula cos (n+2) = 2 cos cos (n+1)cos n translates into a simple recurrence relation which makes Chebyshev polynomialsvery easy to tabulate, namely:
T0(x)
=
1
Tn+2(x) = 2 x Tn+1(x) Tn(x)
T1(x)
=
x
T2(x)
=
-1
+
2 x2
T3(x)
=
-3 x
+
4 x3
T4(x)
=
1
8 x2
+
8 x4
T5(x)
=
5 x
20 x3
+
16 x5
T6(x)
=
-1
+
18 x2
48 x4
+
32 x6
T7(x)
=
-7 x
+
56 x3
112 x5
+
64 x7
T8 (x)
=
1
32 x2
+
160 x4
256 x6
+
128 x8
Knowing only the highest term of Tn and its obvious n distinct real zeroes, we obtain immediately Tn as a product of n factors:
If n > 0, then Tn(x) = 2 n-1
( x cos (k+½)/n )
The case Tn(0) = (-1)n tellssomething nice about a product of cosines.
Inverse formulas :
x0
=
T0
x1
=
T1
2 x2
=
T0
+
T2
4 x3
=
3 T1
+
T3
8 x4
=
3 T0
+
4 T2
+
T4
16 x5
=
10 T1
+
5 T3
+
T5
32 x6
=
10 T0
+
15 T2
+
6 T4
+
T6
64 x7
=
35 T1
+
21 T3
+
7 T5
+
T7
128 x8
=
35 T0
+
56 T2
+
28 T4
+
8 T6
+
T8
(2014-07-26) A solution looking for a problem :
Chebyshev polynomials verify Tm(Tn(x)) = Tmn(x). This unique property makes it possible to define pairs ofclosely related functions from any pair of arithmetic functions u and v (with subexponential growth) that areDirichlet inverses of each other,using the following symmetrical relations:
g ( x ) =
u(n) f ( Tn(x) )
f ( x ) =
v(n) g ( Tn(x) )
: Expand the latter right-hand-side using the definition of g :
m n u(n) v(m) f ( Tmn (x) ) = k d|k u(d) v(k/d) f ( Tk (x) )
u and v being Dirichlet inverses,the bracket is either 1 (if k = 1) or 0.
This applies, in particular, when u is atotally multiplicativearithmetic function [i.e., such that u(mn) = u(m) u(n) for any m & n ] in which case its Dirichlet inverse can be expressed using theMöbius function () :
v(n) = (n) u(n)
Using Tn(x) = x1/n instead of Chebyshev polynomials,this pattern was used in 1859 byRiemann to linkhis (normalized) prime-counting function f = with the celebrated jump function g = J he obtained with u(n) = 1/n.
(2015-12-06) They are denoted by the symbol U (simply because U comes afterT ).
TheLegendre polynomials (A008316) are recursively defined by:
P0(x)
=
1
;
Pn(x) = (2-1/n) x Pn-1(x) (1-1/n) Pn-2(x)
P1(x)
=
x
2
P2(x)
=
-1
+
3x2
2
P3(x)
=
-3 x
+
5x3
8
P4(x)
=
3
30x2
+
35x4
8
P5(x)
=
15 x
70x3
+
63x5
16
P6(x)
=
-5
+
105x2
315x4
+
231x6
16
P7(x)
=
-35 x
+
315x3
693x5
+
429x7
128
P8(x)
=
35
1260x2
+
6930x4
12012x6
+
6435x8
They are linked to the expressions of spherical harmonics in terms of the colatitude [0,[ and the longitude (modulo2).
(2012-02-16) Radial part of the solution of theSchrödinger equationfor hydrogenoids.
Laguerre's equation is a second-order linear differential equation:
x y'' + (1-x) y' + n y = 0
It has non-singular solutions only when n is a non-negative integer. In that case, a solution is Ln(n), the Laguerre polynomial of order ngiven by:
L0(x)
=
1
(n+1) Ln+l(x) = (2n+1-x) Ln(x) - n Ln-1(x)
L1(x)
=
1
- x
2
L2(x)
=
2
- 4x
+ x2
6
L3(x)
=
6
- 18x
+ 9x2
- x3
24
L4(x)
=
24
- 96x
+ 72x2
- 16x3
+ x4
120
L5(x)
=
120
- 600x
+ 600x2
- 200x3
+ 25x4
- x5
720
L6(x)
=
720
- 4320x
+ 5400x2
- 2400x3
+ 450x4
- 36x5
+ x6
5040
L7(x)
=
5040
-35280x
+52920x2
-29400x3
+7350x4
-882x5
+49x6
-x7
Sorin is credited for the following generalized Laguerre equation :
x y'' + (+1-x) y' + n y = 0
This is satisfied by theLaguerre function, defined by:
L
) n
=
n+ n-p
(-x)p p!
n=1
Because of the way binomial coefficients vanish, a polynomial (a finite sum) called associated Laguerre polynomial is so obtained when n is a non-negative integer. Otherwise, the above is a divergent series which is Borel-summable.
Ordinary Laguerre polynomials correspond to the special case = 0.
(2012-02-18) Eigenstates of the quantum harmonic oscillator.
H0(x)
=
1
Hn+1(x) = 2x Hn(x) 2n Hn-1(x)
H1(x)
=
2x
H2(x)
=
-2
+
4x2
H3(x)
=
-12 x
+
8x3
H4(x)
=
12
48x2
+
16x4
H5(x)
=
120 x
160x3
+
32x5
H6(x)
=
-120
+
720x2
480x4
+
64x6
H7(x)
=
-1680 x
+
3360x3
1344x5
+
128x7
The above are more popular than the simpler modified Hermite polynomials Hen which can be defined via: Hn(x) = 2n/2 Hen(2½x)
He0(x)
=
1
Hen+1(x) = x Hen(x) n Hen-1(x)
He1(x)
=
x
He2(x)
=
-1
+
x2
He3(x)
=
-3 x
+
x3
He4(x)
=
3
6x2
+
x4
He5(x)
=
15 x
10x3
+
x5
He6(x)
=
-15
+
45x2
15x4
+
x6
He7(x)
=
-105 x
+
105x3
21x5
+
x7
(2014-12-07)
The reverse Bessel polynomials tabulated belowappear in the transfer functions ofBessel-Thomson filters
Besides the aforementioned case n = 1, Bn vanishes for odd values of n.
The even-indexed Bernoulli numbers : B2n = A000367(n) /A002445(n)
B0
B2
B4
B6
B8
B10
B12
B14
1
1 / 6
-1 / 30
1 / 42
-1 / 30
5 / 66
-691 / 2730
7 / 6
B16
B18
B20
B22
B24
-3617 / 510
43867 / 798
-174611 / 330
854513 / 138
-236364091 / 2730
B26
B28
B30
8553103 / 6
-23749461029 / 870
8615841276005 / 14322
B32
B34
B36
-7709321041217 / 510
2577687858367 / 6
B38
B40
2929993913841559 / 6
-261082718496449122051 / 13530
B42
B44
1520097643918070802691 / 1806
-27833269579301024235023 / 690
By the vonStaudt-Clausen theorem (1840) the denominator of B2n is the product of all primes p forwhich p-1 divides 2n.
(2019-11-24)
After deriving explicit formulas up to p = 17, Johann Faulhaber observed that, if p = 2q+1 is odd, then the sum of the p-th powers of the integers from 0 to n isa polynomial of degree q+1 in the variable x = n(n+1)/2. A related expression holds for a nonzero even p, namely:
n
k 2q+1
=
Fq+1(x)
If q > 0, then:  
n
k 2q
=
n+½ 2q+1
d dx
Fq+1
(x)
That result was proved in full generality by Carl Jacobi, in 1834.
(2021-07-20) The binomial polynomials form a group under umbral composition.
(2020-06-02) Irreducible divisors of x n 1 over the rationals.
The nthcyclotomic polynomialn is the unique monic polynomial dividing x k 1 for k = n but not for any lesser value of k.
When n > 1, n is palindromic. If n has at most two distinct odd prime factors, then the coefficients of n stay within {-1,0,1}. That holds for n < 105; the first product of three distinct odd primes (Adolph Migotti, 1883). Those coefficients can be arbitrarily large (Issai Schur, 1931). Furthermore, any given integer occurs as a coefficient of some cyclotomic polynomial (Jiro Suzuki,1987).
n is an irreducible polynomial over the rationals, whose degree is equal to the Euler totient (n). That nontrivial fact is due to Carl F. Gauss.
The following definition also holds for n = 0 (as an empty product is 1).
n (x) =
x exp( i 2k / n)
For n > 0, the cyclotomic polynomial n can thus be defined as the unique monicpolynomial whose roots are the primitive nth roots of unity.
The following factorization yields as many factors as there are divisors of n:
xn 1 =
k(x)
The following interesting equation involves the Möbius function :
n(x) =
( xn/k 1 ) (k)
(2020-06-03) Nontrivial factors of (p x2) p 1 when p is an odd prime.
A polynomial Pp can be defined for which the following identity holds, which provides a nontrivial factorization of some special integers:
( p x2) p (-1)m = ( p x2 (-1)m) Pp(-x) Pp(x)
Here, p = 2m+1 is an odd prime (see Sophie Germain identity for p=2). Pp (x) = Ap( p x2) + (p x) Bp( p x2) where Ap and Bp are both palindromicmonic polynomials. Ap hasdegree m. Bp has degree m-1.
Polynomials Pp(x) = Ap(y) + (p x) Bp(y) with y = p x 2
Prime p
1
y
y2
y3
y4
y5
y6
y7
y8
y9
y10
y11
y12
y13
y14
y15
+
p=3
A
1
1
B
1
p=5
A
1
3
1
B
1
1
+
p=7
A
1
3
3
1
B
1
1
1
+
p=11
A
1
5
-1
-1
5
1
B
1
1
-1
1
1
p=13
A
1
7
15
19
15
7
1
B
1
3
5
5
3
1
p=17
A
1
9
11
-5
-15
-5
11
9
1
B
1
3
1
-3
-3
1
3
1
+
p=19
A
1
9
17
27
31
31
27
17
9
1
B
1
3
5
7
7
7
5
3
1
+
p=23
A
1
11
9
-19
-15
25
25
-15
-19
9
11
1
B
1
3
-1
-5
1
7
1
-5
-1
3
1
p=29
A
1
15
33
13
15
57
45
19
45
57
15
13
33
15
1
B
1
5
5
1
7
11
5
5
11
7
1
5
5
1
+
p=31
A
1
15
43
83
125
151
169
173
173
169
151
125
83
43
15
1
B
1
5
11
19
25
29
31
31
31
29
25
19
11
5
1
For p=31 (and x=9) this factors a nice 102-digit semiprime: (251131+1) / 2512 = 889923919072997985238634558820908333948499157179463 × 1111413273683146858652465162019244587926917356315577
That factorization would take a long time with a general-purpose program.
For compactness, we'll give palindromic polynomials as lists of coefficientswith underlined central ones (so the mirror endings can be freely truncated).