List of mathematical functions

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In mathematics, some functions or groups of functions are important enough to deserve their own names. This is a listing of articles which explain some of these functions in more detail. There is a large theory of special functions which developed out of statistics and mathematical physics. A modern, abstract point of view contrasts large function spaces, which are infinite-dimensional and within which most functions are 'anonymous', with special functions picked out by properties such as symmetry, or relationship to harmonic analysis and group representations.

Contents

See also List of types of functions

Elementary functions

Elementary functions are functions built from basic operations (e.g. addition, exponentials, logarithms...)

Algebraic functions

Algebraic functions are functions that can be expressed as the solution of a polynomial equation with integer coefficients.

Elementary transcendental functions

Transcendental functions are functions that are not algebraic.

Special functions

Piecewise special functions

Arithmetic functions

Antiderivatives of elementary functions

Other standard special functions

Miscellaneous functions

See also

Related Research Articles

In mathematics, an elementary function is a function of a single variable that is defined as taking sums, products, roots and compositions of finitely many polynomial, rational, trigonometric, hyperbolic, and exponential functions, and their inverses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamma function</span> Extension of the factorial function

In mathematics, the gamma function is one commonly used extension of the factorial function to complex numbers. The gamma function is defined for all complex numbers except the non-positive integers. For every positive integer n,

The Riemann hypothesis is one of the most important conjectures in mathematics. It is a statement about the zeros of the Riemann zeta function. Various geometrical and arithmetical objects can be described by so-called global L-functions, which are formally similar to the Riemann zeta-function. One can then ask the same question about the zeros of these L-functions, yielding various generalizations of the Riemann hypothesis. Many mathematicians believe these generalizations of the Riemann hypothesis to be true. The only cases of these conjectures which have been proven occur in the algebraic function field case.

In mathematics, for given real numbers a and b, the logarithm logba is a number x such that bx = a. Analogously, in any group G, powers bk can be defined for all integers k, and the discrete logarithm logba is an integer k such that bk = a. In number theory, the more commonly used term is index: we can write x = indra (mod m) (read "the index of a to the base r modulo m") for rxa (mod m) if r is a primitive root of m and gcd(a,m) = 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multivalued function</span> Generalized mathematical function

In mathematics, a multivalued function is a function that has two or more values in its range for at least one point in its domain. It is a set-valued function with additional properties depending on context. The terms multifunction and many-valued function are sometimes also used.

In mathematics, a transcendental function is an analytic function that does not satisfy a polynomial equation, in contrast to an algebraic function. In other words, a transcendental function "transcends" algebra in that it cannot be expressed algebraically using a finite amount of terms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurwitz zeta function</span> Special function in mathematics

In mathematics, the Hurwitz zeta function is one of the many zeta functions. It is formally defined for complex variables s with Re(s) > 1 and a ≠ 0, −1, −2, … by

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polylogarithm</span> Special mathematical function

In mathematics, the polylogarithm (also known as Jonquière's function, for Alfred Jonquière) is a special function Lis(z) of order s and argument z. Only for special values of s does the polylogarithm reduce to an elementary function such as the natural logarithm or a rational function. In quantum statistics, the polylogarithm function appears as the closed form of integrals of the Fermi–Dirac distribution and the Bose–Einstein distribution, and is also known as the Fermi–Dirac integral or the Bose–Einstein integral. In quantum electrodynamics, polylogarithms of positive integer order arise in the calculation of processes represented by higher-order Feynman diagrams.

In mathematics, an expression is in closed form if it is formed with constants, variables and a finite set of basic functions connected by arithmetic operations and function composition. Commonly, the allowed functions are nth root, exponential function, logarithm, and trigonometric functions. However, the set of basic functions depends on the context.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Precalculus</span> Course designed to prepare students for calculus

In mathematics education, precalculus is a course, or a set of courses, that includes algebra and trigonometry at a level which is designed to prepare students for the study of calculus, thus the name precalculus. Schools often distinguish between algebra and trigonometry as two separate parts of the coursework.

In mathematics, a nonelementary antiderivative of a given elementary function is an antiderivative that is, itself, not an elementary function. A theorem by Liouville in 1835 provided the first proof that nonelementary antiderivatives exist. This theorem also provides a basis for the Risch algorithm for determining which elementary functions have elementary antiderivatives.

In calculus, symbolic integration is the problem of finding a formula for the antiderivative, or indefinite integral, of a given function f(x), i.e. to find a formula for a differentiable function F(x) such that

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of trigonometry</span> Overview of and topical guide to trigonometry

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to trigonometry:

In mathematics, the multiplication theorem is a certain type of identity obeyed by many special functions related to the gamma function. For the explicit case of the gamma function, the identity is a product of values; thus the name. The various relations all stem from the same underlying principle; that is, the relation for one special function can be derived from that for the others, and is simply a manifestation of the same identity in different guises.

A hypertranscendental function or transcendentally transcendental function is a transcendental analytic function which is not the solution of an algebraic differential equation with coefficients in and with algebraic initial conditions.

Special functions are particular mathematical functions that have more or less established names and notations due to their importance in mathematical analysis, functional analysis, geometry, physics, or other applications.