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71 votes
3 answers
5k views

Does iterating the derivative infinitely many times give a smooth function whenever it converges?

I am a graduate student and I've been thinking about this fun but frustrating problem for some time. Let $d = \frac{d}{dx}$, and let $f \in C^{\infty}(\mathbb{R})$ be such that for every real $x$, $$g(...
Paul Cusson's user avatar
  • 1,763
67 votes
3 answers
12k views

Is this differential identity known?

Recently I discovered the differential identity $$ \frac{d^{k+1}}{dx^{k+1}} (1+x^2)^{k/2} = \frac{(1 \times 3 \times \dots \times k)^2}{(1+x^2)^{(k+2)/2}}$$ valid for any odd natural number $k$; for ...
Terry Tao's user avatar
  • 114k
59 votes
7 answers
29k views

Learning roadmap for harmonic analysis

In short, I am interested to know of the various approaches one could take to learn modern harmonic analysis in depth. However, the question deserves additional details. Currently, I am reading Loukas ...
54 votes
13 answers
90k views

Good differential equations text for undergraduates who want to become pure mathematicians

Alright, so I have been taking a while to soak in as much advanced mathematics as an undergraduate as possible, taking courses in algebra, topology, complex analysis (a less rigorous undergraduate ...
43 votes
3 answers
7k views

Could the Riemann zeta function be a solution for a known differential equation?

Riemann zeta function is a function of complex variable $s$ that analytically continous the sum of Dirichlet series .defined as :$$\zeta(s)=\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\displaystyle \frac{1}{n^s} $$ for when ...
zeraoulia rafik's user avatar
27 votes
2 answers
1k views

Rademacher theorem

If $f:\mathbb{R}^n\to\mathbb{R}^m$ is of class $C^1$ and $\operatorname{rank} Df(x_o)=k$, then clearly $\operatorname{rank} Df\geq k$ in a neighborhood of $x_o$. It is not particularly difficult to ...
Piotr Hajlasz's user avatar
26 votes
9 answers
14k views

Graduate ODE textbook

Suppose that a hypothetical math grad student was pretty comfortable with first-year real variables and algebra, and had even studied some other things (algebraic geometry, Riemannian geometry, ...
25 votes
3 answers
7k views

Analysis from a categorical perspective

I have not studied category theory in extreme depth, so perhaps this question is a little naive, but I have always wondered if analysis could be taught naturally using categories. I ask this because ...
Daniel Miller's user avatar
24 votes
2 answers
2k views

Reference for exponential Vandermonde determinant identity

I recently stumbled upon the following identity, valid for any real numbers $\alpha_1,\dots,\alpha_n$ and $\lambda_{n1} \leq \dots \leq \lambda_{nn}$: $$ \mathrm{det}( e^{\alpha_i \lambda_{nj}} )_{1 \...
Terry Tao's user avatar
  • 114k
21 votes
1 answer
1k views

Does summing divergent series using cutoff functions give consistent results?

One way to try to give a value $S$ to a divergent series $\sum_{n=1}^\infty a_n$ is with a smooth cutoff function: $$ S = \lim_{N\to\infty}\sum_{n=1}^\infty a_n \eta\left(\frac{n}{N}\right) $$ where $\...
not all wrong's user avatar
21 votes
1 answer
564 views

Partitions of ${\rm Sym}(\mathbb{N})$ induced by convergent, but not absolutely convergent series

Let $(a_n) \subset \mathbb{R}$ be a sequence such that the series $\sum_{n=1}^\infty a_n$ converges, but does not converge absolutely. Then there is a partition of the symmetric group ${\rm Sym}(\...
Stefan Kohl's user avatar
  • 19.6k
19 votes
2 answers
2k views

Integral representation of higher order derivatives

I'm quite curious about the following phenomena, that still puzzle me although I have a proof, and I'd be really glad if someone may shred some light, showing an interpretation or a generalization. I ...
Pietro Majer's user avatar
  • 60.5k
18 votes
11 answers
5k views

Applications of measure, integration and Banach spaces to combinatorics

I'm going to be teaching a Master's level analysis course (measure theory, Lebesgue integration, Banach and Hilbert spaces, and if there's time, some spectral or PDE stuff) in the fall. My problem is ...
Gordon Craig's user avatar
  • 1,665
18 votes
5 answers
3k views

Smoothness of $f(\sqrt x)$

I found that I need to use the following facts in a paper that I am writing. Let $f\in C^\infty(\mathbb R)$, then If $f(0)=0$, then $f(x)=x g(x)$ for some $g\in C^\infty(\mathbb R)$. If $f$ is even, ...
Sergei Ivanov's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
5k views

Nonvanishing of Jacobians implies global injectivity?

I am interested in obtaining injectivity of a $C^1$ map from the nonvanishing minors of its Jacobian matrix. Here is a brief history of the topic. In 1953, Samuelson asked the following: If the ...
Syang Chen's user avatar
18 votes
0 answers
439 views

An integral in Gradshteyn and Ryzhik

Section 3.248 of the 4th edition of the table of integrals by Gradshteyn and Ryzhik contains three entries. They are of elementary examples of the beta function. In the 5th edition there are two new ...
Victor Moll's user avatar
17 votes
1 answer
1k views

Catalan's constant fast convergent series

NOTE. UPDATE 2 introduces proven series for Catalan's constant that is possibly the fastest currently known. Working with some conjectured continued fractions that were published here, I have found ...
Jorge Zuniga's user avatar
  • 2,836
16 votes
1 answer
2k views

Normal approximation of tail probability in binomial distribution

My problem: From the Berry--Esseen theorem I know, that $$\sup_{x\in\mathbb R}|P(B_n \le x)-\Phi(x)|=O\left(\frac 1{\sqrt n}\right),$$ where $B_n$ has the standardized binomial distribution and $\Phi$ ...
Stephan Kulla's user avatar
15 votes
5 answers
12k views

Beginners text on calculus of variations

I want to begin learning Calculus of Variations. What texts would MathOverflow recommend? Amazon shows up quite a few options. I work on Machine Learning, and that where I intend to apply this. ...
15 votes
1 answer
2k views

How did Fermi calculate this integral?

In his 1926 paper Fermi states without further explanation that it follows from the Thomas-Fermi equation $$\frac{d^2\psi(x)}{dx^2}=\frac{\psi(x)^{3/2}}{\sqrt{x}},\label{1} \tag{1}$$ and boundary ...
Zurab Silagadze's user avatar
14 votes
3 answers
664 views

(Sharp) inequality for Beta function

I am trying to prove the following inequality concerning the Beta Function: $$ \alpha x^\alpha B(\alpha, x\alpha) \geq 1 \quad \forall 0 < \alpha \leq 1, \ x > 0, $$ where as usual $B(a,b) = \...
Ester Mariucci's user avatar
13 votes
5 answers
3k views

Reference request: Oldest calculus, real analysis books with exercises?

Per the title, what are some of the oldest calculus, real analysis books out there with exercises? Maybe there are some hidden gems from before the 20th century out there. Edit. Unsolved exercises ...
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

An alternative proof of the Łojasiewicz inequality

Is there a "brute force proof" of the Łojasiewicz inequality? By "brute force" I mean a proof without introducing the machinery of semianalytic sets and so on but only using elementary results (i.e., ...
Italo's user avatar
  • 1,727
13 votes
2 answers
968 views

Have any proposals been advanced for the analytic continuation of the divisor function?

While I was working on the evaluation of a certain series, the following limit came up: \begin{align} \lim_{n \to 1} \frac{d(n)-1}{n(n-1)} &= \lim_{n \to 1} \frac{d'(n)}{2n-1} \\ &= d'(1) .\...
Max Lonysa Muller's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
1k views

Apéry's constant $\zeta(3)$ fastest convergent series

UPDATE Feb.02.2024 The series below, Eq.(3) for computing and Eq.(2) for verifying, were applied by Andrew Sun on Dec.22.2023 to get over $2\cdot10^{12}$ decimal digits and break the number of ...
Jorge Zuniga's user avatar
  • 2,836
13 votes
1 answer
661 views

Poincaré on analytic dependence on parameters of solutions of linear differential equations

There is the following important General Principle: if a parameter enters in a linear differential equation additively, for example $$\frac{d^2w}{dx^2}+(q(x)+\lambda)w=0,$$ where the parameter is $\...
Alexandre Eremenko's user avatar
12 votes
6 answers
2k views

Can the positive root of this polynomial be expressed elementarily?

For each real $A>0$, let $x_A$ denote the positive root $x$ of the polynomial $x^5-3x-A$. Is the function $(0,\infty)\ni A\mapsto x_A$ elementary? [I am using this definition of elementary ...
Iosif Pinelis's user avatar
12 votes
4 answers
2k views

History of ODE and PDE reference request

Is there any reference (book or articles) which made the history (up to the modern times) and the conceptual development of Ordinary Differential Equations and Partial Differential Equations? It will ...
Bogdan's user avatar
  • 1,759
12 votes
2 answers
2k views

Reference for a nice proof of "undetermined coefficients"

I'm teaching an honors differential equations class and have been using linear algebra heavily. I thought it would be interesting to include a proof of the method of undetermined coefficients along ...
Ryan Reich's user avatar
  • 7,273
12 votes
1 answer
2k views

Sard's Theorem For Banach Spaces

Given a smooth map from $\phi: B \rightarrow M$ where $B$ is a Banach Space and $M$ is a finite dimensional smooth manifold (for example, the end point map for a control system), what is the strongest ...
Benjamin's user avatar
  • 2,099
12 votes
2 answers
1k views

What's a good introduction to category theory for someone doing analysis?

I do functional analysis, and diagrams are popping all over the place. It is about time I learned me some category theory. Any recommendations?
user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

A generalization of intermediate value theorem on R^k

Let $f:[0,1]\to\mathbb R^k$ be a continuous function with $f(1) = \overrightarrow 0$. Is it true that there always exist $k$ points $0 \le a_1 \le a_2 \le \ldots \le a_k \le 1$ such that $\sum_{i=1}^k ...
tckwok's user avatar
  • 207
12 votes
1 answer
1k views

Proof of Green's formula for rectifiable Jordan curves

$\newcommand{\Ga}{\Gamma}$ I am trying to find a proof of Green's formula for rectifiable Jordan curves $\Ga$ (and the corresponding interior regions $R$). There is a proof by Ridder, followed by ...
Iosif Pinelis's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
552 views

On the independence of lower and upper asymptotic and Banach densities

Given a set $X \subseteq \mathbf N^+$, denote by $\mathsf{d}_\ast(X)$ and $\mathsf{d}^\ast(X)$, respectively, the lower and upper asymptotic (or natural) density of $X$, viz. $$\mathsf{d}_\ast(X) := \...
Salvo Tringali's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
239 views

Interval arithmetic with different definitions of intervals

Interval arithmetic normally deals with intervals defined as $[a,b]$ with rules like $$[a,b]+[c,d]=[a+c,b+d]$$ I am interested in interval arithmetic with different interval definitions such as $$\{a\}...
Stephan Kulla's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
1k views

Two divergent series conspiring?

Consider the sequence $a_n=2^{2n}\binom{2n}n^{-1}$. Stirling's approximation shows that $a_n\sim \sqrt{\pi n}$, thus $$\sum_{n\geq0}\frac{\pi}{2a_n}\qquad \text{and} \qquad \sum_{n\geq0}\frac{a_n}{2n+...
T. Amdeberhan's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
2k views

Reference request: proof of Ramanujan's Cos/Cosh Identity

The Ramanujan Cos/Cosh Identity, as stated here, is $$\left[1+2\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{\cos n\theta}{\cosh n\pi}\right]^{-2}+ \left[1+2\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}\frac{\cosh n\theta}{\cosh n\pi}\right]^{-2}=...
Descartes Before the Horse's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
660 views

"A sea-side town where every house can see the sea"

This is a reference request. The phrase in the title is, if I remember correctly, how Eli Stein described the following set (the definition may be faulty, but I think it is right): There exists ...
Willie Wong's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
725 views

Chebyshev's other inequality

It is a simple fact, the granddaddy of correlation inequalities that if $f,g$ are monotone functions on $[0,1]$ then $$\int_0^1 f(x)g(x) dx \ge \int_0^1 f(x) dx \int_0^1 g(x) dx.$$ In their famous ...
Barry Simon's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
566 views

Integral representation of product of two Whittaker functions

Does anyone know anything about the following formula involving special functions: $$\begin{multline*} W_{\kappa,\mu}(z)W_{\lambda,\mu}(w)=\frac{e^{-(z+w)/2}(zw)^{\mu+1/2}}{\Gamma(1-\kappa-\lambda)}\...
Y.Okuyama's user avatar
  • 373
11 votes
2 answers
802 views

Functions that Calculate their $L_p$ Norm

are there any examples of functions $f:x\in\mathbb{R}_0^+\rightarrow\mathbb{R}_0^+$ and intervals $(a,b), 0\le a \lt b \le \infty$ , for which $$\Big(\int_a^b{|f(x)|^p dx}\Big)^\frac{1}{p} = f(p)$$ $$\...
Manfred Weis's user avatar
  • 13.2k
11 votes
1 answer
468 views

References on infinite series involving the tetration operator, like $ \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{ {^{n}2} } $

I wonder whether there are any references on infinite series involving the tetration operator, including: \begin{align} S_{1} &:= \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \frac{1}{ {^{n}2} } \\ &= \frac{1}{2} + \...
Max Lonysa Muller's user avatar
10 votes
5 answers
2k views

Background for Hejhal's "The Selberg Trace Formula for $PSL(2, \mathbb{R})$

Reposted from math.stackexchange where my question received only five views and no answers... I'm trying to learn the Selberg trace formula, but have very little background in harmonic analysis. I ...
Jonah Sinick's user avatar
  • 7,062
10 votes
1 answer
833 views

This is not a dyadic cosine-product

The double-angle formula, $\sin2x=2\sin x\cos x$, turns the scary-looking integral $$\int_0^{\infty}dz\prod_{k=1}^{\infty}\cos\frac{z}{2^k}$$ into fun once you realize $\prod_k\cos\frac{z}{2^k}=\frac{\...
T. Amdeberhan's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Prove that the Dirichlet eta function is monotonic

Let us consider $\eta(p):= \sum\limits_{n=1}^\infty \frac{(-1)^{n+1}}{n^p}$ for $p>0$. Has anyone come along with an elementary proof that $\eta(x)$ is monotonically increasing on this set? By ...
Alexander Kuleshov's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
955 views

Ramanujan's problem 754 still open?

In addition to the MO question The Ramanujan Problems. , I would like to ask the following. Problem 754 from the list of the Ramanujan's problems ( http://www.imsc.res.in/~rao/ramanujan/...
Zurab Silagadze's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Algebraic independence of exponentials

First of all, a happy new year. Be it better than 2015, healthy, wealthy, fruitful and cross-fertilizing for you, familly and friends. In order to cope with families of solutions of evolution ...
Duchamp Gérard H. E.'s user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

What would the best treatment of Gehring's lemma look like?

In a course about elliptic regularity probably one sooner or later stubles into the reverse Holder inequalities, and has to introduce the Gehring lemma, which in one of its many versions improves a ...
Mircea's user avatar
  • 2,041
10 votes
2 answers
2k views

A result of Sierpiński on non-atomic measures

There is a classical result commonly attributed to W. Sierpiński that reads as follows: Theorem 1. If $f: \Sigma \to \bf R$ is a non-atomic (*) measure on a set $S$, then for every $X \in \Sigma$ ...
Salvo Tringali's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
571 views

Are “most” bounded derivatives not Riemann integrable?

Given $a,b\in\mathbb R$ with $a<b$. Let $$X=\{f\in C([a,b]): f \text{ is differentiable on } [a,b] \text{ with }f' \text{ bounded }\},$$ and $$A=\{f\in X: f' \text{ is Riemann integrable}\}. $$ It ...
Fergns Qian's user avatar

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