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Pochhammer Contour
In mathematics, the Pochhammer contour, introduced by Jordan (1887), pp. 243–244 and , is a contour in the complex plane with two points removed, used for contour integration. If ''A'' and ''B'' are loops around the two points, both starting at some fixed point ''P'', then the Pochhammer contour is the commutator ''ABA''−1''B''−1, where the superscript −1 denotes a path taken in the opposite direction. With the two points taken as 0 and 1, the fixed basepoint ''P'' being on the real axis between them, an example is the path that starts at ''P'', encircles the point 1 in the counter-clockwise direction and returns to ''P'', then encircles 0 counter-clockwise and returns to ''P'', after that circling 1 and then 0 clockwise, before coming back to ''P''. The class of the contour is an actual commutator when it is considered in the fundamental group with basepoint ''P'' of the complement in the complex plane (or Riemann sphere) of the two points looped. When it come ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pochhammer
Leo August Pochhammer (25 August 1841, Stendal – 24 March 1920, Kiel) was a Prussian mathematician who was educated in Berlin, obtaining his Ph.D. in 1863 under Ernst Kummer. He became a lecturer in 1874, then professor of mathematics at the Christian-Albrechts-Universität of Kiel (1877–1919), where he was appointed Rektor (commissioner of education) in 1893. He is known for his work on special functions and introduced the Pochhammer symbol, now generally used for expressing hypergeometric functions in a compact notation. See also *Pochhammer symbol *Generalized Pochhammer symbol * ''q''-Pochhammer symbol *Pochhammer contour *Falling and rising factorials In mathematics, the falling factorial (sometimes called the descending factorial, falling sequential product, or lower factorial) is defined as the polynomial :\begin (x)_n = x^\underline &= \overbrace^ \\ &= \prod_^n(x-k+1) = \prod_^(x-k) \,. \e ... External links * Eric W. Weisstein's world of science 1841 birt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Complex Plane
In mathematics, the complex plane is the plane formed by the complex numbers, with a Cartesian coordinate system such that the -axis, called the real axis, is formed by the real numbers, and the -axis, called the imaginary axis, is formed by the imaginary numbers. The complex plane allows a geometric interpretation of complex numbers. Under addition, they add like vectors. The multiplication of two complex numbers can be expressed more easily in polar coordinates—the magnitude or ''modulus'' of the product is the product of the two absolute values, or moduli, and the angle or ''argument'' of the product is the sum of the two angles, or arguments. In particular, multiplication by a complex number of modulus 1 acts as a rotation. The complex plane is sometimes known as the Argand plane or Gauss plane. Notational conventions Complex numbers In complex analysis, the complex numbers are customarily represented by the symbol ''z'', which can be separated into its real (''x'') and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Contour Integration
In the mathematical field of complex analysis, contour integration is a method of evaluating certain integrals along paths in the complex plane. Contour integration is closely related to the calculus of residues, a method of complex analysis. One use for contour integrals is the evaluation of integrals along the real line that are not readily found by using only real variable methods. Contour integration methods include: * direct integration of a complex-valued function along a curve in the complex plane (a '' contour''); * application of the Cauchy integral formula; and * application of the residue theorem. One method can be used, or a combination of these methods, or various limiting processes, for the purpose of finding these integrals or sums. Curves in the complex plane In complex analysis a contour is a type of curve in the complex plane. In contour integration, contours provide a precise definition of the curves on which an integral may be suitably defined. A curve in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Commutator
In mathematics, the commutator gives an indication of the extent to which a certain binary operation fails to be commutative. There are different definitions used in group theory and ring theory. Group theory The commutator of two elements, and , of a group , is the element : . This element is equal to the group's identity if and only if and commute (from the definition , being equal to the identity if and only if ). The set of all commutators of a group is not in general closed under the group operation, but the subgroup of ''G'' generated by all commutators is closed and is called the ''derived group'' or the ''commutator subgroup'' of ''G''. Commutators are used to define nilpotent and solvable groups and the largest abelian quotient group. The definition of the commutator above is used throughout this article, but many other group theorists define the commutator as :. Identities (group theory) Commutator identities are an important tool in group theory. The expr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fundamental Group
In the mathematical field of algebraic topology, the fundamental group of a topological space is the group of the equivalence classes under homotopy of the loops contained in the space. It records information about the basic shape, or holes, of the topological space. The fundamental group is the first and simplest homotopy group. The fundamental group is a homotopy invariant—topological spaces that are homotopy equivalent (or the stronger case of homeomorphic) have isomorphic fundamental groups. The fundamental group of a topological space X is denoted by \pi_1(X). Intuition Start with a space (for example, a surface), and some point in it, and all the loops both starting and ending at this point— paths that start at this point, wander around and eventually return to the starting point. Two loops can be combined in an obvious way: travel along the first loop, then along the second. Two loops are considered equivalent if one can be deformed into the other without breakin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Riemann Sphere
In mathematics, the Riemann sphere, named after Bernhard Riemann, is a model of the extended complex plane: the complex plane plus one point at infinity. This extended plane represents the extended complex numbers, that is, the complex numbers plus a value \infty for infinity. With the Riemann model, the point \infty is near to very large numbers, just as the point 0 is near to very small numbers. The extended complex numbers are useful in complex analysis because they allow for division by zero in some circumstances, in a way that makes expressions such as 1/0=\infty well-behaved. For example, any rational function on the complex plane can be extended to a holomorphic function on the Riemann sphere, with the poles of the rational function mapping to infinity. More generally, any meromorphic function can be thought of as a holomorphic function whose codomain is the Riemann sphere. In geometry, the Riemann sphere is the prototypical example of a Riemann surface, and is one of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homology (mathematics)
In mathematics, homology is a general way of associating a sequence of algebraic objects, such as abelian groups or modules, with other mathematical objects such as topological spaces. Homology groups were originally defined in algebraic topology. Similar constructions are available in a wide variety of other contexts, such as abstract algebra, groups, Lie algebras, Galois theory, and algebraic geometry. The original motivation for defining homology groups was the observation that two shapes can be distinguished by examining their holes. For instance, a circle is not a disk because the circle has a hole through it while the disk is solid, and the ordinary sphere is not a circle because the sphere encloses a two-dimensional hole while the circle encloses a one-dimensional hole. However, because a hole is "not there", it is not immediately obvious how to define a hole or how to distinguish different kinds of holes. Homology was originally a rigorous mathematical method for defi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Homotopy Group
In mathematics, homotopy groups are used in algebraic topology to classify topological spaces. The first and simplest homotopy group is the fundamental group, denoted \pi_1(X), which records information about loops in a space. Intuitively, homotopy groups record information about the basic shape, or ''holes'', of a topological space. To define the ''n''-th homotopy group, the base-point-preserving maps from an ''n''-dimensional sphere (with base point) into a given space (with base point) are collected into equivalence classes, called homotopy classes. Two mappings are homotopic if one can be continuously deformed into the other. These homotopy classes form a group, called the ''n''-th homotopy group, \pi_n(X), of the given space ''X'' with base point. Topological spaces with differing homotopy groups are never equivalent ( homeomorphic), but topological spaces that homeomorphic have the same homotopy groups. The notion of homotopy of paths was introduced by Camille Jordan. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Winding Number
In mathematics, the winding number or winding index of a closed curve in the plane around a given point is an integer representing the total number of times that curve travels counterclockwise around the point, i.e., the curve's number of turns. The winding number depends on the orientation of the curve, and it is negative if the curve travels around the point clockwise. Winding numbers are fundamental objects of study in algebraic topology, and they play an important role in vector calculus, complex analysis, geometric topology, differential geometry, and physics (such as in string theory). Intuitive description Suppose we are given a closed, oriented curve in the ''xy'' plane. We can imagine the curve as the path of motion of some object, with the orientation indicating the direction in which the object moves. Then the winding number of the curve is equal to the total number of counterclockwise turns that the object makes around the origin. When counting the total nu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beta Function
In mathematics, the beta function, also called the Euler integral of the first kind, is a special function that is closely related to the gamma function and to binomial coefficients. It is defined by the integral : \Beta(z_1,z_2) = \int_0^1 t^(1-t)^\,dt for complex number inputs z_1, z_2 such that \Re(z_1), \Re(z_2)>0. The beta function was studied by Leonhard Euler and Adrien-Marie Legendre and was given its name by Jacques Binet; its symbol is a Greek capital beta. Properties The beta function is symmetric, meaning that \Beta(z_1,z_2) = \Beta(z_2,z_1) for all inputs z_1 and z_2.Davis (1972) 6.2.2 p.258 A key property of the beta function is its close relationship to the gamma function: : \Beta(z_1,z_2)=\frac. A proof is given below in . The beta function is also closely related to binomial coefficients. When (or , by symmetry) is a positive integer, it follows from the definition of the gamma function thatDavis (1972) 6.2.1 p.258 : \Beta(m,n) =\dfrac = \frac \B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leonhard Euler
Leonhard Euler ( , ; 15 April 170718 September 1783) was a Swiss mathematician, physicist, astronomer, geographer, logician and engineer who founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made pioneering and influential discoveries in many other branches of mathematics such as analytic number theory, complex analysis, and infinitesimal calculus. He introduced much of modern mathematical terminology and notation, including the notion of a mathematical function. He is also known for his work in mechanics, fluid dynamics, optics, astronomy and music theory. Euler is held to be one of the greatest mathematicians in history and the greatest of the 18th century. A statement attributed to Pierre-Simon Laplace expresses Euler's influence on mathematics: "Read Euler, read Euler, he is the master of us all." Carl Friedrich Gauss remarked: "The study of Euler's works will remain the best school for the different fields of mathematics, and nothing else can replace it." Euler is a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Analytic Continuation
In complex analysis, a branch of mathematics, analytic continuation is a technique to extend the domain of definition of a given analytic function. Analytic continuation often succeeds in defining further values of a function, for example in a new region where an infinite series representation in terms of which it is initially defined becomes divergent. The step-wise continuation technique may, however, come up against difficulties. These may have an essentially topological nature, leading to inconsistencies (defining more than one value). They may alternatively have to do with the presence of singularities. The case of several complex variables is rather different, since singularities then need not be isolated points, and its investigation was a major reason for the development of sheaf cohomology. Initial discussion Suppose ''f'' is an analytic function defined on a non-empty open subset ''U'' of the complex plane If ''V'' is a larger open subset of containing ''U'', and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
