Elementary Approach to Modular Equations: Jacobi's Transformation Theory 2 | Paramanand's Math Notes

Elementary Approach to Modular Equations: Jacobi's

Transformation Theory 2
In this post we will apply the technique described in previous post to obtain modular equations
of degree 3 and 5 .

Cubic Transformation p=3

Since we have p = 4 ⋅ 1 − 1 , the degrees of P and Q are both 2 ⋅ 1 − 2 = 0 and hence they
both are constants. Since
x(P 2 + 2P Q + Q2 x2 )
y=
P 2 + 2P Qx2 + Q2 x2
it is clear that the function y depends only on ratio Q/P and hence we can take P = 1 and
Q = α. Thus we have
x(1 + 2α + α2 x2 ) (1 + 2α) + α2 x2
y= = x ⋅
1 + 2αx2 + α2 x2 1 + α(α + 2)x2

The requirement of invariance under the transformation (x, y) → (1/kx, 1/ly) leads to the
following conditions
k3
l=
∆2
and
(1 + 2α)k2 x2 + α2 = ∆{1 + α(α + 2)x2 }

Thus we have the following equations

k3
l=
∆2
α2 =∆
k2 (2α + 1) = ∆α(α + 2)
and since 1/M = dy/dx at x = 0 we have M = 1/(2α + 1) . Clearly we have then
α3 (2 + α) 2 2+α 3
k2 = , l = α( )
2α + 1 2α + 1

Eliminating α from the above equation is bit tricky. After some manipulations we have
(1 − α)(1 + α)3 (1 + α)(1 − α)3
k′2 = , l′2 =
2α + 1 (2α + 1)3

Clearly the pattern is now obvious if we multiply the expressions for k, l and (similarly for
k′ , l ′ )
−− α(2 + α) √−− − 1 − α2
√kl = , k′ l′ =
2α + 1 2α + 1
and thus we obtain the modular equation of degree 3 :
−− −−
−
√kl + √k′ l′ = 1 .

Using the variable u = k1/4 , v = l1/4 we can obtain an expression devoid of algebraic
irrationalities. Clearly we have α4 = k3 /l so that α = u3 /v and since
−−
√kl = α(2 + α)/(2α + 1) it follows that u2 v2 = α(2 + α)/(2α + 1) . Putting the value of
α in this equation we get

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Elementary Approach to Modular Equations: Jacobi's Transformation Theory 2 | Paramanand's Math Notes

(2 + )
u3 u3
v v u3 (2v + u3 )
u2 v2 = =
2u3 v(2u3 + v)
+1
v
⇒ u(u3 + 2v) = v3 (2u3 + v)
and thus finally
u4 − v4 + 2uv(1 − u2 v2 ) = 0
Quintic Transformation p=5
Here we have p = 5 = 4 ⋅ 1 + 1 , hence the degree of P is 1 and that of Q is zero. Thus we
can take P = 1 + βx 2 and Q = α (note that the degrees being talked of are degrees when
P , Q are expressed as polynomials in x2 ).

We have now
x(P 2 + 2P Q + Q2 x2 )
y=
P 2 + 2P Qx2 + Q2 x2
so that in this case
x{(2α + 1) + (2αβ + 2β + α2 )x2 + β 2 x4 }
y=
1 + (2β + 2α + α2 )x2 + (β 2 + 2αβ)x4

This relation is invariant under the transformation (x, y) → (1/kx, 1/ly) so we have
k5
l= ⋯ (1)
∆2
β 2 = ∆ ⋯ (2)
k2 (2αβ + 2β + α2 ) = ∆(2β + 2α + α2 ) ⋯ (3)
k4 (2α + 1) = ∆(β 2 + 2αβ) ⋯ (4)

Like in the case of cubic transformation we have M = 1/(2α + 1) .

Obtaining a relation between k, l by eliminating α, β, ∆ is reasonably cumbersome and it

becomes manageable when we use the associated variables u = k1/4 , v = l1/4 . Using these
−−
variables and equations (1) and (2) we have β = √∆ = u 5 /v and putting these values in
equation (4) we get

( 2 + 2α ⋅ )
u10 u10 u5
u16 (2α + 1) = 2
v v v
or
(2α + 1)uv4 = u5 + 2αv ⇒ 2αv(1 − uv3 ) = u(v4 − u4 )
u(v4 − u4 )
⇒ 2α = ⋯ (5)
v(1 − uv3 )

Again using equation (3) we get

u3 (v4 − u4 )(1 − u3 v)
(v2 − u2 )(2β + α2 ) = u2 (1 − u3 v)(2α) =
v 1 − uv3
u3 (v2 + u2 )(1 − u3 v)
⇒ 2β + α2 =
v 1 − uv3
{ − 2u2 }
u3 (v + u )(1 − u3 v)
2 2
⇒ α2 =
v 1 − uv3
u3 (v2 − u2 )(1 + u3 v)
⇒ α2 = ⋯ (6)
v 1 − uv3

Dividing (6) by (5) we get

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Elementary Approach to Modular Equations: Jacobi's Transformation Theory 2 | Paramanand's Math Notes

4u2 (1 + u3 v)
2α =
v2 + u2
Comparing this with (5) we get
4uv(1 − uv3 )(1 + u3 v) − (v2 + u2 )(v4 − u4 ) = 0
and on simplifying further we have
u6 − v6 + 5u2 v2 (u2 − v2 ) + 4uv(1 − u4 v4 ) = 0

The reader must have understood by now that this technique of finding modular equations is
quite unsuitable for larger values of p . In fact Jacobi treated only the cubic and quintic
transformations in his Fundamenta Nova and Arthur Cayley extended this approach to p = 7
in his An Elementary Treatise on Elliptic Functions. Our exposition here is based on Cayley's
book. For higher values of p Jacobi provided the transformation in a form which contains
elliptic functions of K/p and thereby obtained equations L = K/(pM), L′ = K ′ /M from
which follows the relation L′ /L = pK ′ /K . This we study in the next post.

By Paramanand Singh Labels: Elliptic Functions, Elliptic Integrals, Mathematical Analysis,

Friday, October 28, 2011 Modular Equations

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