CHAPTER 2 LEGENDRE POLYNOMIALS

Legendre Equation 1  x y   2 xy   k k  1y  0

2

where k  R and k  1 .

Rodrigues’s Formula Legendre Generating Function


1 dk 2
Px x   k k
x  1k  p x t k

1
2 k! dx k
1  2 xt  t 2
k 0

Pascal Triangular
Binomial Expansion

nx nn  1x 2 nn  1n  2 x 3 nn  1n  2n  3x 4

1  x n  1     
1! 2! 3! 4!

Examples:
1) Use the Legendre generating functions to derive ive the recurrence formula
2k  1 k
Pk 1 x   xPx  x   Pk 1 x  . (Example 2.6)
k 1 k 1
Examples: 2) Use the generating function to show that P0  x   1 , P1 x   x and
1) Use the Rodrigues’ss formula to generate the
P2 x   3x 2  1. (Example 2.2)
1
Legendre Polynomials P1 x  , P2 x  and P3 x  .
2
2) Use the Rodrigues’ss formula to generate the 3) Use the generating function to show that Pn  1   1n . (Example 2.3)
first linearly independent solution for the
Legendre equation 1  x 2 y   2 xy   42 y  0
Recurrence Formula Orthogonality Series of Legendre Polynomials

2k  1 k 0 ,m  k 

 A P x 
1
a) Pk 1 x   xPx  x   Pk 1  x   f x  
k 1 k 1
 Pm  x Pk x dx   2
 2k  1 , m  k k 0
k k

 A0 P0 x   A1P1  x   A2P2 x   A3P3  x   

1

 
b) Pk 1 x   Pk 1 x   2k  1Px  x  where
Examples: 1
2k  1

1
f x Pk  x dx
 P x P x dx
Ak 
1) 3 10 2
Examples: 1
1

1. Given P0 x   1 and P1 x   x , find 1

P2  x  and P3  x  . (Example 2.4)

2. Use the recurrence formula to solve
2)

1
P200 x 2 dx Examples:
1) Express f x   2 x  1 , 0  x  1 as a
2

1 0 ,1  x  0
 P3  x dx and write in terms of P3  x  3)
 x P x  dx
3 2 

 A P x  until the
10
Legendre series
and P4 x  . (Video Exercise 2.2) 1 k k
k 0
3. Express P0 x  in terms of P3  x  and (Example 2.7)
first three non-zero terms. (Example
P4 x  . 2.8)