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Pietro Majer
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No doubt that $x=\cos\theta$ is a meaningful substitution for the Legendre polynomials. The functions $P_n(\cos\theta)$ were already considered by Legendre in the spherical harmonic expansion of the Newton potential. However, the substitution is not so happy as for the Chebyshev polynomials. Here below is what you get from the generating function of the Legendre's polynomials, which is not -not bad, after all. I'm not sure that, but there is nothingmay be something better.

   $$P_n(\cos\theta)=4^{-n}\sum_{k=0}^n{2k \choose k}{2n-2k\choose n-k}\cos\big((2n-k)\theta\big).$$

No doubt that $x=\cos\theta$ is a meaningful substitution for the Legendre polynomials. The functions $P_n(\cos\theta)$ were already considered by Legendre in the spherical harmonic expansion of the Newton potential. However, the substitution is not so happy as for the Chebyshev polynomials. Here below is what you get from the generating function of the Legendre's polynomials, which is not bad, after all. I'm not sure that there is nothing better.

 $$P_n(\cos\theta)=4^{-n}\sum_{k=0}^n{2k \choose k}{2n-2k\choose n-k}\cos\big((2n-k)\theta\big).$$

No doubt that $x=\cos\theta$ is a meaningful substitution for the Legendre polynomials. The functions $P_n(\cos\theta)$ were already considered by Legendre in the spherical harmonic expansion of the Newton potential. However, the substitution is not so happy as for the Chebyshev polynomials. Here below is what you get from the generating function of the Legendre's polynomials -not bad after all, but there may be something better.  $$P_n(\cos\theta)=4^{-n}\sum_{k=0}^n{2k \choose k}{2n-2k\choose n-k}\cos\big((2n-k)\theta\big).$$

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Pietro Majer
  • 60.5k
  • 4
  • 122
  • 269

No doubt that $x=\cos\theta$ is a meaningful substitution for the Legendre polynomials. The functions $P_n(\cos\theta)$ were already considered by Legendre in the spherical harmonic expansion of the Newton potential. However, the substitution is not so happy as for the Chebyshev polynomials. Here below is what you get from the generating function of the Legendre's polynomials, which is not bad, after all. I'm not sure that there is nothing better.

$$P_n(\cos\theta)=4^{-n}\sum_{k=0}^n{2k \choose k}{2n-2k\choose n-k}\cos\big((2n-k)\theta\big).$$