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Mathematical Methods For Physicists Webber and Arfken Selected Solutions Ch. 5
Mathematical Methods For Physicists Webber and Arfken Selected Solutions Ch. 5
Textbook problems: Ch. 5: 5.6.2, 5.6.19, 5.7.4, 5.7.15, 5.9.11, 5.10.1, 5.10.7
Chapter 5
1 − 12 x2 + 24
1 4
x − ··· 1 − 21 x2 + 24
1 4
x − ···
cot x = =
x − 16 x3 + 120
1
x5 − · · · x(1 − 61 x2 + 120
1
x4 − · · ·)
We now run into an issue of dividing one series by another. However, instead of
division, we may change this into a multiplication problem by using (1 − r)−1 =
1 + r + r2 + r3 + · · · to rewrite the denominator
(1 − 16 x2 + 1
120 x
4
− · · ·)−1 = 1 + ( 16 x2 − 1 4 1 2
120 x + · · ·) + ( 6 x − 1
120 x
4
+ · · ·)2 + · · ·
= 1 + 61 x2 + 1
(− 120 1
+ 36 )x4 + · · ·
= 1 + 16 x2 + 7 4
360 x + · · ·
where we have only kept terms up to O(x4 ). Returning to cot x, we now find
cot x = x−1 (1 − 12 x2 + 1 4 1 2 7 4
24 x − · · ·)(1 + 36 x + 360 x + · · ·)
= x−1 (1 + (− 12 + 16 )x2 + ( 24
1 1
− 12 7
+ 360 )x4 + · · ·)
= x−1 (1 − 1 2 1 4
3 x − 45 x + · · ·)
In principle, we could work this out to higher orders by keeping more powers of
x in the series expansions.
Note that there is a nice expression for cot x in terms of the Bernoulli numbers.
This may be obtained by noting that the generating function definition of Bn is
∞ ∞
x X Bn n 1 X B2p 2p
x
= x =− x+ x
e − 1 n=1 n! 2 p=0
(2p)!
where we have used the fact that all odd Bernoulli numbers vanish except for
B1 = − 12 . Moving the − 12 x to the left hand side, and using the identity
x 1 x ex + 1 x x
x
+ x= · x = coth
e −1 2 2 e −1 2 2
we obtain
∞
x x X B2p 2p
coth = x
2 2 p=0 (2p)!
Finally, to change coth into cot, we may work in the complex domain and note
that coth iz = −i cot z. Therefore we make the substitution x → ix to yield
∞
X 2B2p
−i cot x = (2ix)2p−1
p=0
(2p)!
b) Show that the hεi of part (a) reduces to kT , the classical result, for kT ε0 .
so that
2π ∞
2π X
(−1)n 2n
Z Z
cos(c cos ϕ) dϕ = c cos2n ϕ dϕ
0 0 n=0
(2n)!
∞
X (−1)n c2n Z 2π
= cos2n ϕ dϕ
n=0
(2n)! 0
∞ ∞
X (−1)n c2n 2π(2n)! X 2π(−1)n c 2n
= =
n=0
(2n)! 22n (n!)2 n=0
(n!)2 2
5.7.15 The Klein-Nishina formula for the scattering of photons by electrons contains a term
of the form
(1 + ε) 2 + 2ε ln(1 + 2ε)
f (ε) = −
ε2 1 + 2ε ε
Here ε = hν/mc2 , the ratio of the photon energy to the electron rest mass energy.
Find
lim f (ε)
ε→0
This problem is an exercise in taking Taylor series. Note that, if we simply set
ε = 0 in f (ε), the first term (1 + ε)/ε2 would diverge as ε−2 . Hence this provides
a hint that we should keep at least two powers of ε in any series expansion we
perform. Keeping this in mind, we first work on the fraction
2 + 2ε
= 2(1+ε)(1+2ε)−1 = 2(1+ε)(1−2ε+4ε2 −· · ·) = 2(1−ε+2ε2 +· · ·) (1)
1 + 2ε
next we turn to the log
ln(1 + 2ε)
= ε−1 ln(1+2ε) = ε−1 (2ε− 12 (2ε)2 + 31 (2ε)3 +· · ·) = (2−2ε+ 38 ε2 −· · ·)
ε
(2)
2
Subtracting (2) from (1), and combining with the prefactor (1 + ε)/ε , we find
(1 + ε)
f (ε) = [2(1 − ε + 2ε2 + · · ·) − (2 − 2ε + 38 ε2 − · · ·)]
ε2
(1 + ε) 2 8 2 (1 + ε) 4 2
= [4ε − 3 ε + · · ·] = [ 3 ε + · · ·] = 43 (1 + ε)[1 + · · ·]
ε2 ε2
We are now in a position to take the limit ε → 0 to obtain
4
lim f (ε) =
ε→0 3
1 − x = e−t , dx = e−t dt
to obtain
1 ∞
e−t
Z Z
2 dx
[ln(1 − x)] = t2 dt
0 x 0 1 − e−t
This integral involves powers and exponentials, and is not so easy to do. Thus
we expand the fraction as a series
∞
e−t −t −t −1 −t −t −2t −3t
X
= e (1 − e ) = e (1 + e + e +e + · · ·) = e−nt
1 − e−t n=1
This gives
∞ ∞ Z
!
Z 1 Z ∞ ∞
2 dx
X X
−nt
[ln(1 − x)] = t 2
e dt = e−nt t2 dt
0 x 0 n=1 n=1 0
The B2n are the Bernoulli numbers. Show that Stirling’s formula is an asymptotic
expansion.
P
Instead of using the textbook definition of an asymptotic series an (x), we aim
to demonstrate the two principle facts; i) that the series diverges for fixed x when
N → ∞, and ii) that the remainder vanishes for fixed N when x → ∞. To do
so, we first examine the form of an (x)
B2n
an (x) = − x1−2n
2n(2n − 1)
and hence the ratio test demonstrates that the series diverges.
For showing condition ii), on the other hand, we suppose the series stops at term
n = N . Then the error or remainder is related to the subsequent terms aN +1 ,
aN +2 , etc. However, according to (3), if we take the limit x → ∞ for fixed N we
have
|aN | |aN |
lim =∞ ⇒ |aN +1 | → = 0 as x → ∞
x→∞ |aN +1 | ∞
Hence the remainder terms fall off sufficiently fast to satisfy the criteria for an
asymptotic series. We thus conclude that Stirling’s formula is an asymptotic
expansion.
5.10.7 Derive the following Bernoulli number asymptotic series for the Euler-Mascheroni
constant
n N
X
−1 1 X B2k
γ= s − ln n − +
s=1
2n (2k)n2k
k=1
Essentially, the constant γ is the difference between the sum and the integral
approximation. This suggests that we begin by inserting the function f (x) = 1/x
into the Euler-Maclauren sum formula
n Z n N
X 1 1 X 1
f (x) = f (x)dx + f (1) + f (n) + B2p [f (2p−1) (n) − f (2p−1) (1)]
x=1 1 2 2 p=1
(2p)!
Z 1 n−1
1 X
− B2N (x) f (2N ) (x + ν)dx
(2N )! 0 ν=1
(4)
However, we first note that, for f (x) = 1/x we have
Z n Z n
dx
f (x)dx = = ln n
1 1 x
as well as
k!
f (k) (x) = (−1)k
xk+1
Using these results, and returning to (4), we find
n N Z 1 n−1
X
−1 1 1 X B2p X
s = ln n + + − [n−2p − 1] − B2N (x) (x + ν)2N +1 dx
s=1
2 2n p=1 2p 0 ν=1
or
n N
X
−1 1 1 X B2p
s − ln n = + − [n−2p − 1] + RN (n) (5)
s=1
2 2n p=1 2p
At this point, may note that the left hand side of (5) is close to the expression
we want for the Euler-Mascheroni constant. However, we must recall that the
sum formula (4) generally yields an asymptotic expansion (since the Bernoulli
numbers diverge). Thus we have to be careful about the remainder term.
Of course, we can still imagine taking the limit n → ∞ in (5) to obtain
n
! N
X
−1 1 X B2p
γ = lim s − ln n = + + RN (∞) (7)
n→∞
s=1
2 p=1 2p