Questions tagged [ca.classical-analysis-and-odes]

Special functions, orthogonal polynomials, harmonic analysis, ordinary differential equations (ODE's), differential relations, calculus of variations, approximations, expansions, asymptotics.

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12 votes
3 answers
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Limit cycles as closed geodesics (in negatively or positively curved space)

Updated 1/25/2023 I just added a related post below: Jacobi fields, Conjugate points and limit cycle theory EDIT: Here is a related post which concern quadratic vector fields rather than Van ...
Ali Taghavi's user avatar
54 votes
8 answers
9k views

Does the formal power series solution to $f(f(x))= \sin( x) $ converge?

I have spent some time using gp-pari. There is, of course, a formal power series solution to $ f(f(x)) = \sin x.$ It is displayed below, identified by the symbol $g$ because I am not entirely sure ...
Will Jagy's user avatar
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121 votes
12 answers
27k views

How to solve $f(f(x)) = \cos(x)$?

I found the following equation on some web page I cannot remember, and found it interesting: $$f(f(x))=\cos(x)$$ Out of curiosity I tried to solve it, but realized that I do not have a clue how to ...
user4503's user avatar
  • 1,551
48 votes
2 answers
7k views

Geometric interpretation of the half-derivative?

For $f(x)=x$, the half-derivative of $f$ is $$\frac{d^{\frac{1}{2}}}{dx^{\frac{1}{2}}} x = 2 \sqrt{\frac{x}{\pi}} \;.$$ Is there some geometric interpretation of (Q1) this specific derivative, and, (...
Joseph O'Rourke's user avatar
15 votes
2 answers
1k views

Asymptotic approximation of $x^\alpha$ by entire functions

Given a non-integral real $\alpha$, is there an entire (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entire_function) function $h(x)$ such that $x^{-\alpha}h(x)\longrightarrow 1$ for $x\rightarrow+\infty$ (with $...
Roland Bacher's user avatar
116 votes
4 answers
36k views

Is the analysis as taught in universities in fact the analysis of definable numbers?

Ten years ago, when I studied in university, I had no idea about definable numbers, but I came to this concept myself. My thoughts were as follows: All numbers are divided into two classes: those ...
Anixx's user avatar
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93 votes
5 answers
12k views

Note rejected from arXiv: what to do next?

Short version: A note of mine was rejected by the arXiv moderation (something I didn't even know was possible) on account of being “unrefereeable”. The moderation process provides absolutely no ...
67 votes
2 answers
14k views

Is there a category structure one can place on measure spaces so that category-theoretic products exist?

The usual category of measure spaces consists of objects $(X, \mathcal{B}_X, \mu_X)$, where $X$ is a space, $\mathcal{B}_X$ is a $\sigma$-algebra on $X$, and $\mu_X$ is a measure on $X$, and measure ...
Damek Davis's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

Solution of linear ODE

Let $A=A(t)$ be a smooth one parameter family of $n\times n$-matrices, $n\ge 2$. It seems that the solution of linear ODE $$\dot x= Ax$$ can not be written in a closed form using $\int$, $A$, $x(0)$ ...
ε-δ's user avatar
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52 votes
11 answers
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Does the exponential function have a (compositional) square root?

(asked by Nathaniel Hellerstein on the Q&A board at JMM) Is there a "half-exponential" function $h(x)$ such that $h(h(x))=e^x$? Is it unique? Is it analytic? Related question: Is there an ...
2010 Joint Meetings's user avatar
25 votes
9 answers
5k views

Function with range equal to whole reals on every open set

There is an example of a function that is unbounded on every open set. Just take $f(n/m) = m$ for coprime $n$ and $m$ and $f(irrational) = 0$. I want to generalize this in a way to get a function ...
falagar's user avatar
  • 2,761
6 votes
3 answers
3k views

functions with orthogonal Jacobian

I'm working on a model that would require to use vectorial functions of $\mathbb{R}^n \rightarrow \mathbb{R}^n$, such that $\forall x, y \in \mathbb{R}^n$, $\lVert \frac{df(x)}{dx}(y) \lVert_2 = \...
dhokas's user avatar
  • 163
52 votes
7 answers
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On an example of an eventually oscillating function

For $x\in(0,1)$, put $$f(x):=\sum_{n=0}^{\infty}(-1)^{n}x^{2^{n}}.$$ This function possesses interesting properties. It grows monotonically from $0$ up to certain point. Then it starts to oscillate ...
Twi's user avatar
  • 2,188
38 votes
4 answers
3k views

Binomial again, and again

Let $\lceil a\rceil=$ the smallest integer $\geq a$, otherwise known as the ceiling function. When the arguments are real, interpret $\binom{a}b$ using the Euler's gamma function, $\Gamma$. Recently, ...
T. Amdeberhan's user avatar
37 votes
3 answers
3k views

Do these properties characterize differentiation?

Let $L: C^\infty(\mathbb{R}) \to C^\infty(\mathbb{R})$ be a linear operator which satisfies: $L(1) = 0$ $L(x) = 1$ $L(f \cdot g) = f \cdot L(g) + g \cdot L(f)$ Is $L$ necessarily the derivative? ...
Steven Gubkin's user avatar
36 votes
5 answers
21k views

Criteria to determine whether a real-coefficient polynomial has real root?

Given a polynomial equation $x^n+a_{n-1}x^{n-1}+\cdots+a_1x+a_0=0$, where $n$ is even and all the coefficients $a_i$ are real, what is the best way to determine whether it has a real root or not? I ...
Wiley's user avatar
  • 647
29 votes
3 answers
3k views

An explicit series representation for the analytic tetration with complex height

Tetration is the next hyperoperation after more familiar addition, multiplication and exponentiation. It can be seen as a repeated exponentiation, similar to how exponentiation can be seen as a ...
Vladimir Reshetnikov's user avatar
23 votes
3 answers
6k views

Density of smooth functions under "Hölder metric"

This question came up when I was doing some reading into convolution squares of singular measures. Recall a function $f$ on the torus $T = [-1/2,1/2]$ is said to be $\alpha$-Hölder (for $0 < \alpha ...
Vince's user avatar
  • 485
22 votes
10 answers
16k views

If d/dx is an operator, on what does it operate?

If $\frac{d}{dx}$ is a differential operator, what are its inputs? If the answer is "(differentiable) functions" (i.e., variable-agnostic sets of ordered pairs), we have difficulty distinguishing ...
Jason Howald's user avatar
19 votes
6 answers
7k views

Does the derivative of log have a Dirac delta term?

Dirac writes down the following formula on page 61 of his "Principles of quantum mechanics": $\frac{d}{dx}\log x = \frac{1}{x} -i\pi\delta(x)$, see http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1947pqm..book.....D ...
Mikhail Katz's user avatar
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19 votes
2 answers
8k views

Conditions for smooth dependence of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a matrix on a set of parameters

Let $A\in\mathcal M_n$ be an $n\times n$ real [symmetric] matrix which depends smoothly on a [finite] set of parameters, $A=A(\xi_1,\ldots,\xi_k)$. We can view it as a smooth function $A:\mathbb R^k\...
Cristi Stoica's user avatar
18 votes
2 answers
3k views

Solutions-set first order ODE's without uniqueness

In short: What can we say about the set of all solutions of an ordinary differential equation (ODE) when we there is no uniqueness? Consider the ODE $f:D\to \mathbb{R}, \quad D\subseteq \mathbb{R}^2,$ ...
Amir Sagiv's user avatar
  • 3,544
9 votes
2 answers
4k views

On the behaviour of $\sin(n!\pi x)$ when $x$ is irrational.

Hi, I'm interested in the behaviour of the sequence $(\sin(n!\pi x))$, when $x$ is irrational, as $n$ tends to infinity. 1) Is the sequence dense in $(-1,1)$? or 2) Is it possible that for some ...
Analyst44's user avatar
  • 131
6 votes
1 answer
686 views

An operation is defined on polynomials. How do I generalize it to other classes of functions?

I am currently researching divergent integrals. Definition. An extended number is an expression of the form $\int_a^b f(x)\,dx$, where $a,b\in \overline{\mathbb{R}}$ and function $f(x)$ is defined ...
Anixx's user avatar
  • 9,306
2 votes
0 answers
171 views

Role of absolute continuity of divergence of BV function in proof of renormalization property

In the paper http://cvgmt.sns.it/paper/436/, the author proves the renormalization property for the flow generated by a vector field $a(t,\cdot) \in BV(\mathbb{R}^N; \mathbb{R}^N)$. Heuristically, ...
Riku's user avatar
  • 819
191 votes
34 answers
79k views

What is convolution intuitively?

If random variable $X$ has a probability distribution of $f(x)$ and random variable $Y$ has a probability distribution $g(x)$ then $(f*g)(x)$, the convolution of $f$ and $g$, is the probability ...
182 votes
19 answers
35k views

How do I make the conceptual transition from multivariable calculus to differential forms?

One way to define the algebra of differential forms $\Omega(M)$ on a smooth manifold $M$ (as explained by John Baez's week287) is as the exterior algebra of the dual of the module of derivations on ...
142 votes
7 answers
14k views

Source and context of $\frac{22}{7} - \pi = \int_0^1 (x-x^2)^4 dx/(1+x^2)$?

Possibly the most striking proof of Archimedes's inequality $\pi < 22/7$ is an integral formula for the difference: $$ \frac{22}{7} - \pi = \int_0^1 (x-x^2)^4 \frac{dx}{1+x^2}, $$ where the ...
Noam D. Elkies's user avatar
133 votes
5 answers
29k views

Does the inverse function theorem hold for everywhere differentiable maps?

(This question was posed to me by a colleague; I was unable to answer it, so am posing it here instead.) Let $f: {\bf R}^n \to {\bf R}^n$ be an everywhere differentiable map, and suppose that at each ...
Terry Tao's user avatar
  • 108k
100 votes
8 answers
12k views

Is $ \sum\limits_{n=0}^\infty x^n / \sqrt{n!} $ positive?

Is $$ \sum_{n=0}^\infty {x^n \over \sqrt{n!}} > 0 $$ for all real $x$? (I think it is.) If so, how would one prove this? (To confirm: This is the power series for $e^x$, except with the ...
J Russell's user avatar
  • 1,103
96 votes
17 answers
16k views

What's a nice argument that shows the volume of the unit ball in $\mathbb R^n$ approaches 0?

Before you close for "homework problem", please note the tags. Last week, I gave my calculus 1 class the assignment to calculate the $n$-volume of the $n$-ball. They had finished up talking about ...
57 votes
1 answer
5k views

Every real function has a dense set on which its restriction is continuous

The title says it all: if $f\colon \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$ is any real function, there exists a dense subset $D$ of $\mathbb{R}$ such that $f|_D$ is continuous. Or so I'm told, but this leaves me ...
Gro-Tsen's user avatar
  • 29.9k
53 votes
3 answers
5k views

On which regions can Green's theorem not be applied?

In elementary calculus texts, Green's theorem is proved for regions enclosed by piecewise smooth, simple closed curves (and by extension, finite unions of such regions), including regions that are not ...
GermanJablo's user avatar
43 votes
2 answers
6k views

Alternating sum of square roots of binomial coefficients

Let $$ c_n = \sum_{r=0}^n (-1)^r \sqrt{\binom{n}{r}}. $$ It is clear that $c_n = 0$ if $n$ is odd. Remarkably, it appears that despite the huge positive and negative contributions in the sum ...
Mark Wildon's user avatar
  • 10.8k
39 votes
8 answers
12k views

Can Cantor set be the zero set of a continuous function?

More generally, can the zero set $V(f)$ of a continuous function $f : \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$ be nowhere dense and uncountable? What if $f$ is smooth? Some days ago I discovered that in this proof ...
pinaki's user avatar
  • 5,064
38 votes
26 answers
56k views

Text for an introductory Real Analysis course.

Any suggestions on a good text to use for teaching an introductory Real Analysis course? Specifically what have you found to be useful about the approach taken in specific texts?
30 votes
1 answer
1k views

Rearrangements that never change the value of a sum

I posted this question on math.stackexchange.com and so far the only answer posted (also mentioned in the comments under the question) shows that one of my rash initial guesses about the bottom-line ...
Michael Hardy's user avatar
29 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can a real quartic polynomial in two variables have more than 4 isolated local minima?

This question: "Can a real quartic polynomial in two variables have at most 4 isolated local minima?" came up in this post on Math SE but with no answer so far. Finding examples of 4 ...
Jap88's user avatar
  • 431
29 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is there a closed form for $\int_0^\infty\frac{\tanh^3(x)}{x^2}dx$?

For $n\geqslant m>1$, the integral $$I_{n,m}:=\int\limits_0^\infty\dfrac{\tanh^n(x)}{x^m}dx$$ converges. If $m$ and $n$ are both even or both odd, we can use the residue theorem to easily evaluate ...
Wolfgang's user avatar
  • 13.2k
27 votes
1 answer
3k views

Criteria for boundedness of power series

Consider a power series $\sum_{n=0}^{\infty} a_n x^n$ that is convergent for all real x, thus defining a function $f: \mathbb{R} \to \mathbb{R}$. Can one give necessary and sufficient criteria the ...
Andreas Rüdinger's user avatar
27 votes
4 answers
2k views

"Converse" of Taylor's theorem

Let $f:(a,b)\to\mathbb{R}$. We are given $(k+1)$ continuous functions $a_0,a_1,\ldots,a_k:(a,b)\to\mathbb{R}$ such that for every $c\in(a,b)$ we can write $f(c+t)=\sum_{i=0}^k a_i(c)t^i+o(t^k)$ (for ...
Mizar's user avatar
  • 3,096
20 votes
2 answers
4k views

Ideals of the ring of smooth functions

The ring $C^\infty(M)$ of smooth functions on a smooth manifold $M$ is a topological ring with respect to the Whitney topology and the usual ring operations. Is it possible to describe, maybe under ...
user18107's user avatar
  • 101
18 votes
3 answers
2k views

Does Peano's theorem apply to spaces with infinite dimension?

Does Peano's theorem apply to spaces with infinite dimension? Or is there a counterexample? Here, Peano's theorem is: Let $E$ be a space with finite dimension. Consider a point $(t_0,x_0) \in \Re \...
Henfe's user avatar
  • 279
17 votes
5 answers
2k views

Can always a family of symmetric real matrices depending smoothly on a real parameter be diagonalized by smooth similarity transformations?

This question is related to another question, but it is definitely not the same. Is it always possible to diagonalize (at least locally around each point) a family of symmetric real matrices $A(t)$ ...
Cristi Stoica's user avatar
15 votes
5 answers
3k views

Are there any techniques for solving a differential equation of the form $f ' (x) = f( f( x ) )$?

I am trying to solve the following differential equation $$f ' (x) = f( f( x ) ),$$ but I have no idea how. I don't think the chain rule is useful for this. Although I don't think this differential ...
frigen's user avatar
  • 253
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 ...
12 votes
0 answers
814 views

Multiple Integral (American Mathematical Monthly problem 11621 and its generalization)

AMM problem 11621 asks to calculate the integral $$I_2=\int\limits_{-\infty}^{\infty}ds_1\int\limits_{-\infty}^{s_1}ds_2 \int\limits_{-\infty}^{s_2}ds_3\int\limits_{-\infty}^{s_3}ds_4 \;\cos{(s_1^2-...
Zurab Silagadze's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
822 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
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is the Fourier transform of $e^{-|x|^n}$ positive?

Let $$\Phi(x) = \int_{\mathbf{R}^n} e^{-|y|^n +i (x,y)} dy.$$ Is $\Phi$ positive everywhere in $\mathbf{R}^n$? Could someone helps me answer this question or gives a reference for it? Thanks.
nguyen0610's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
360 views

Lavrentiev phenomenon between $C^1$ and Lipschitz

Does there exist a (onedimensional) integral functional of calculus of variations (with $f$ finite everywhere) $$ F(y)=\int_a^b f(t,y(t),y'(t))\,dt
 $$ such that $$ \inf_{y\in Lip([a,b])}F(y)<\inf_{...
Carlo Mantegazza's user avatar

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