Frobenius method examples, page 1 of 3

Examples on Frobenius method

B# Cww a#B #B# bCw aB# #B #bC !

Example 1.

Solution.
At B !, the equation has a regular singular point:
Cww B# #Cw B## B# "C !
By the recipe,
_
C ! +8 B8<
Cw ! a8 <b+8 B8<"
8!
_

C ! a8 <ba8 < "b+8 B8<#

ww

8!
_

8!

Into the equation, aligning the powers:

_
B# Cww
! a8 <ba8 < "b+8 B8<
#BCw
#B# Cw
#

BC

! #a8 <b+8 B8<

8!
_

! #a8 " <b+8" B8<

8!
_

! +8# B8<
8"
_

! #+8" B8<
8#
_

#BC

! #+8 B8<
8"
_

#C

8!

Sum up (infinite sum from 8 #, separate terms for 8 ! 8 ")

! c aa8 <ba8 < "b #a8 <b #b+8 a #a8 " <b #b+8" +8 dB8<
_

+c<a< "b+! #<+! #+! dB< ca" <b<+" #a" <b+" #<+! #+! #+" dB<"
!

8#

Collect the terms:

_
! ca8 < "ba8 < #b+8 a% #a8 <bb+8" +8# dB8<
a< "ba< #b+! B< aa< "b<+" a# #<b+! bB<" !

8#

Taking < #, guaranteed to give a series solution, we get

+" +! and the recursion is
+8#
+8 #8+88"
a8"b
It is a homogeneous problem, so we are free to choose +! ".
Anticipating division by factorials, we might change the variable to
,8
+8 a8"
bx

Frobenius method examples, page 2 of 3

so that the recursion becomes, after simplification,
,! " ," #
,8 #,8" ,8
The solution of the recursion is easy to find: ,8 8 1, so
8"
"
+8 a8"
bx 8x
and the solution of the ODE is
_ 8#
C" aBb ! B B# /B
C# C" '

8!

Second solution:

8x

.B where [ exp' B# #.B B# /#B

# #B
C# B# /B ' BB% //#B .B B# /B ' B"# .B B/B
The general solution is then
C -" B# /B -# B/B
______________________________________________________________
Example 2.
This time a formula for the solution was not found by computer algebra software,
so I will settle for a more modest task:
Find the first three terms of the Frobenius solution around B ! for
BCww /B C !
Solution.
For easier handling of the series, write
B# Cww B/B C !
Again,
_
C
! +8 B8<

[
C"#

! a8 <b+8 B8<"
8!
_

Cw

! a8 <ba8 < "b+8 B8<#

8!
_

Cww
# ww

BC

! a8 <ba8 < "b+8 B8<

8!
_
8!

and we take only the first three terms:

B# Cww <a< "b+! B< a< "b<+" B<" a< #ba< "b+# B<#
B/B C

B#x a+! B< +" B<" +# B<# b

+" "x" +! B<# +# "x" +" #x" +! B<$

B#
"x
<"

+! B

total:
! <a< "b+! B< aa< "b<+" +! bB<" aa< #ba< "b+# +" +! bB<#
Since +! ! actually we can take +! " the larger of the integer values of < is < "

Frobenius method examples, page 3 of 3

The equations simplify to
+!
"
#+" +!
!
'+# +" +! !
with solution
"
+! "
+" "#
+# "#
and the series starts with
" $
C B "# B# "#
B
Remark. The computer returned some more coefficients:
"
#$
"*(
+$ "%%

+% #))!

+& )'%!!
and a pattern is not clear.
By the formula, C# C" '
Second solution?

[
C"#
w

.B

and since the coefficient at C in the differential equation is 0, we can take

[
exp ' !.B "
C" '

" #
""
B" "# B "#
B ' B"# B" "#
%$ B .B
" #
""
B" "# B "#
B B" ln B "#
B )$ B#
C" ln B " "# B B#
The other solution does have a logarithmic term.

C#

"
# .B
" #
B# " "# B "#
B