University of Connecticut

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Chemistry Education Materials Department of Chemistry
1-1-2009
Frobenius Solution for Legendre's Equation,
Rodrigue's Formula and Normalization
Carl W. David
University of Connecticut, Carl.David@uconn.edu
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Recommended Citation
David, Carl W., "Frobenius Solution for Legendre's Equation, Rodrigue's Formula and Normalization" (2009). Chemistry Education
Materials. Paper 68.
htp://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/chem_educ/68
Frobenius Method for Legendre Polynomials, Rodriques formula and Normalization
C. W. David
Department of Chemistry
University of Connecticut
Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3060
(Dated: February 18, 2009)
I. SYNOPSIS
The Frobenius Solution is illustrated by application to
the Legendre Dierential Equation. Rodrigues formula
is obtained as well as an explicit formula of the normal-
ization constants.
II. FROBENIUS SOLUTION TO LEGENDRES
EQUATION
We start a Frobenius solution without worrying about
the technical details of the indicial equation, and just
assert that the proposed solution Ansatz will be
S
,0
() = y() =

n=0
c
n

n
= c
0
+ c
1
+ c
2

2
+ (1)
(starting the n = 0, interested readers can see the indi-
cial equation argument in vertually every formal locale)
which we substitute into Legendres dierential equation,
viz,

_
(1
2
)
y()

= ( + 1)y() (2)
we obtain

_
y()

2
y()

+ ( + 1)y() = 0 (3)

2
y()

2

2

2
y()

2
2
y()

+ ( + 1)y() = 0 (4)
so that when we feed the Ansatz into this dierential
equation (Equation 1) we obtain

2
y()

2
(2)(1)c
2
+ (3)(2)c
3
+ (4)(3)c
4

2
+ (5)(4)c
5

3
+

2
y()

2

2
_
(2)(1)c
2
+ (3)(2)c
3
+ (4)(3)c
4

2
+ (5)(4)c
5

3
+
_
2
y()

2
_
c
1
+ (2)c
2
+ (3)c
3

2
+ (4)c
4

3
+
_
+( + 1)y() +( + 1)
_
c
0
+ c
1
+ c
2

2
+ c
3

3
+
_
= 0 (5)
which, in standard Frobenius form, we separately equate to zero (power by power)
(2)(1)c
2
+ (3)(2)c
3
+ (4)(3)c
4

2
+ (5)(4)c
5

3

(2)(1)c
2

2
(3)(2)c
3

3
(4)(3)c
4

4
(5)(4)c
5

5

2c
1
2(2)c
2

2
2(3)c
3

3
2(4)c
4

4

+( + 1)c
0
+ ( + 1)c
1
+ ( + 1)c
2

2
+ ( + 1)c
3

3
+ = 0 (6)
to achieve the appropriate recursion relationships. Note
that there is an even and an odd set, based on start-
ing with either c
0
or c
1
, which correspond to the two
arbitrary constants associated with a second order dier-
ential equation. We obtain the separately equal to zero
equations:
(2)(1)c
2
+ ( + 1)c
0
= 0
+(3)(2)c
3
2c
1
+ ( + 1)c
1
= 0
+(4)(3)c
4

2
(2)(1)c
2

2
2(2)c
2

2
+ ( + 1)c
2

2
= 0
(5)(4)c
5

3
(3)(2)c
3

3
2(3)c
3

3
+ ( + 1)c
3

3
= 0
Typeset by REVT
E
X
2
(4)(3)c
4

4
2(4)c
4

5
+ etc = 0(7)
which we re-write as
(2)(1)c
2
+ ( + 1)c
0
= 0
+(3)(2)c
3
2c
1
+ ( + 1)c
1
= 0
+(4)(3)c
4
(2)(1)c
2
2(2)c
2
+ ( + 1)c
2
= 0
(5)(4)c
5
(3)(2)c
3
2(3)c
3
+ ( + 1)c
3
= 0
(4)(3)c
4

4
2(4)c
4

5
etc + = 0 (8)
and, upon cleaning up the equations, obtain
(2)(1)c
2
= ( + 1)c
0
+(3)(2)c
3
= (2 ( + 1))c
1
+(4)(3)c
4
= ((2)(1) + 2(2) ( + 1))c
2
(5)(4)c
5
((3)(2) + 2(3) ( + 1))c
3
(4)(3)c
4

4
2(4)c
4

5
etc + = 0
Solving the equations using earlier results, from top to
bottom, we have
c
2
=
( + 1)
2!
c
0
c
3
=
(2 + ( + 1))
(3)(2)
c
1
c
4
=
((2)(1) 2(2) + ( + 1))
(4)(3)
c
2
c
5
=
((3)(2) 2(3) + ( + 1))
(5)(4)
c
3
etc.
which cleans up to
c
2
=
( + 1)
2!
c
0
c
3
=
(2 + ( + 1))
(3)(2)
c
1
c
4
=
_
((2)(1) 2(2) + ( + 1))
(4)(3)
__

( + 1)
2!
_
c
0
c
5
=
_
((3)(2) 2(3) + ( + 1))
(5)(4)
__

(2 + ( + 1))
(3)(2)
_
c
1
etc.
so s
,0
() = f
1
c
0
+f
2
c
1
where f
1
and f
2
are power series
based on the above set of coecients. For an even series,
declare c
1
= 0 and choose an value which truncates the
power series into a polynomial. Do the opposite for an
odd solution.
These polynomials are the Legendre polynomials,
about which much is written in a wide variety of locations
(including this compendium of educational papers).
III. RODRIQUES FORMULA
Rodriques formula is
S
,0
P

() =
1
2

!
d

(
2
1)

where Legendres Equation is

(1
2
)
P

()
d
2
2
dP

d
+ ( + 1)P

() = 0
To show this, we start by dening
g

(
2
1)

and nd that
dg

d
= 2(
2
1)
1
and
d
2
g

d
2
= 2(
2
1)
1
+ 4
2
( 1)(
2
1)
2
We now form (construct)
(1
2
)
d
2
g

d
2
= 2(
2
1)

4
2
( 1)(
2
1)
1
2( 1)
dg

d
= 4
2
( 1)(
2
1)
1
+2g

= 2(
2
1)

The r.h.s. of this equation set adds up to zero, and one

obtains on the left:
A() = (1
2
)
d
2
g

d
2
+ 2( 1)
dg

d
+ 2g

= 0 (9)
Dening the l.h.s of this equation as A(), we form
dA()
d
=
_
(1
2
)
d
3
d
3
2
d
2
d
2
+ 2( 1)
d
2
d
2
+ 2( 1)
d
d
+
2
d
d
_
g

=
_
(1
2
)
d
2
d
2
(2 4)
d
d
+ (4 2)
_
dg

d
and, doing it again
d
2
A()
d
2
=
_
(1
2
)
d
2
d
2
(2 6)
d
d
+ (6 6)
_
d
2
g

d
2
and once more for the radio audience:
d
3
A()
d
3
=
_
(1
2
)
d
2
d
2
(2 8)
d
d
+ (8 12)
_
d
3
g

d
3
Continuing, one notices that the changing coecients are
regular in their appearance, so that the following table,
which summarizes the pattern of coecients,
3
= 1 2 4 = 2 2 ( + 1) 4 2 = (3 + ) 2 =6 if = 1
= 2 2 6 = 2 2 ( + 1) 6 6 = (3 + ) 2 = 6 if = 2
= 3 2 8 = 2 2 ( + 1) 8 12 = (3 + ) 2 = 12 if = 3
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
= 2 2 ( + 1) = 2 8 12 = (3 + ) 2 = ( + 1)
leads to generalization by which one nally obtains

A(x)

=
_
(1
2
)

2

2
2

+ ( + 1)
_
g

()
d

(10)
so, dening a normalization constant (and the Legendre
polynomial of order )
d

()
with N

constant, then
P

() =
1
N

=
1
N

(
2
1)

Here,
2

!
is chosen for N

s value to make the normalization auto-

matic.