Table of Contents

1. Orientation; 2. Gamma, beta, zeta; 3. Second-order differential equations; 4. Orthogonal polynomials on an interval; 5. The classical orthogonal polynomials; 6. Semiclassical orthogonal polynomials; 7. Asymptotics of orthogonal polynomials: two methods; 8. Confluent hypergeometric functions; 9. Cylinder functions; 10. Hypergeometric functions; 11. Spherical functions; 12. Generalized hypergeometric functions; G-functions; 13. Asymptotics; 14. Elliptic functions; 15. Painlevé transcendents; Appendix A. Complex analysis; Appendix B. Fourier analysis; References; Index.

Promotional Information

A comprehensive graduate-level introduction to classical and contemporary aspects of special functions.

About the Author

Richard Beals is a former Professor of Mathematics at the University of Chicago and Yale University. He is the author or co-author of books on mathematical analysis, linear operators and inverse scattering theory, and has authored more than 100 research papers in areas including partial differential equations, mathematical economics and mathematical psychology. Roderick Wong is Chair Professor of Mathematics at the City University of Hong Kong. He is the author of books on asymptotic approximations of integrals and applied analysis. He has published over 140 research papers in areas such as asymptotic analysis, singular perturbation theory and special functions.

Reviews

'… an excellent graduate textbook, one of the two best available on this subject…' Warren Johnson, MAA Reviews (www.maa.org)