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Frobenius Solution For Legendre's Equation, Rodrigue's Formula and Normalization

The document summarizes the Frobenius method for solving Legendre's differential equation and deriving Rodrigue's formula and normalization constants for Legendre polynomials. It applies the Frobenius method to Legendre's equation to obtain a recursion relationship for the coefficients. This leads to Rodrigue's formula relating Legendre polynomials to derivatives of (μ^2 - 1). It also shows how normalization constants can be determined to make the polynomials orthonormal.

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105 views4 pages

Frobenius Solution For Legendre's Equation, Rodrigue's Formula and Normalization

The document summarizes the Frobenius method for solving Legendre's differential equation and deriving Rodrigue's formula and normalization constants for Legendre polynomials. It applies the Frobenius method to Legendre's equation to obtain a recursion relationship for the coefficients. This leads to Rodrigue's formula relating Legendre polynomials to derivatives of (μ^2 - 1). It also shows how normalization constants can be determined to make the polynomials orthonormal.

Uploaded by

Sulistyo Oetomo P
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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University of Connecticut

DigitalCommons@UConn
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, [email protected]
Follow this and additional works at: htp://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/chem_educ
Part of the Physical Chemistry Commons
Tis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Chemistry at DigitalCommons@UConn. It has been accepted for
inclusion in Chemistry Education Materials by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UConn. For more information, please contact
[email protected].
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.

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