03.01.10: Math :: Special Functions Download
A Special Function is a function which is quite different from elementary functions (like the trig functions). Often, it is named after a mathematician who first discovered its properties. For example, the Bessel functions and the Legendre polynomials. There are over a hundred special functions in mathematics. Most of them can be formulated as solutions to differential equations. I first got familiar with them while browsing the Mathematica book.
Nowadays, I use Python for most of my numerical computing. The excellent SciPy library (Scientific Python) includes a package on special functions: "from scipy.special import * ". Two years ago, I had written an introductory article about Special Functions. You can download it for free here: SpecialFunc.pdf [240 KB]. I wrote the article in LaTeX and used pdfTex for typesetting.
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Posted by: bdsatish Category: Math
