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In
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
, the Bernoulli polynomials, named after
Jacob Bernoulli Jacob Bernoulli (also known as James or Jacques; – 16 August 1705) was one of the many prominent mathematicians in the Bernoulli family. He was an early proponent of Leibnizian calculus and sided with Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz during the Le ...
, combine the
Bernoulli number In mathematics, the Bernoulli numbers are a sequence of rational numbers which occur frequently in analysis. The Bernoulli numbers appear in (and can be defined by) the Taylor series expansions of the tangent and hyperbolic tangent functions, ...
s and
binomial coefficient In mathematics, the binomial coefficients are the positive integers that occur as coefficients in the binomial theorem. Commonly, a binomial coefficient is indexed by a pair of integers and is written \tbinom. It is the coefficient of the t ...
s. They are used for
series expansion In mathematics, a series expansion is an expansion of a function into a series, or infinite sum. It is a method for calculating a function that cannot be expressed by just elementary operators (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) ...
of functions, and with the
Euler–MacLaurin formula In mathematics, the Euler–Maclaurin formula is a formula for the difference between an integral and a closely related sum. It can be used to approximate integrals by finite sums, or conversely to evaluate finite sums and infinite series using ...
. These
polynomial In mathematics, a polynomial is an expression consisting of indeterminates (also called variables) and coefficients, that involves only the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and positive-integer powers of variables. An exa ...
s occur in the study of many
special functions 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. The term is defined by ...
and, in particular, the
Riemann zeta function The Riemann zeta function or Euler–Riemann zeta function, denoted by the Greek letter (zeta), is a mathematical function of a complex variable defined as \zeta(s) = \sum_^\infty \frac = \frac + \frac + \frac + \cdots for \operatorname(s) > ...
and the
Hurwitz zeta function In mathematics, the Hurwitz zeta function is one of the many zeta functions. It is formally defined for complex variables with and by :\zeta(s,a) = \sum_^\infty \frac. This series is absolutely convergent for the given values of and and can ...
. They are an
Appell sequence In mathematics, an Appell sequence, named after Paul Émile Appell, is any polynomial sequence \_ satisfying the identity :\frac p_n(x) = np_(x), and in which p_0(x) is a non-zero constant. Among the most notable Appell sequences besides the ...
(i.e. a
Sheffer sequence In mathematics, a Sheffer sequence or poweroid is a polynomial sequence, i.e., a sequence of polynomials in which the index of each polynomial equals its degree, satisfying conditions related to the umbral calculus in combinatorics. They are ...
for the ordinary
derivative In mathematics, the derivative of a function of a real variable measures the sensitivity to change of the function value (output value) with respect to a change in its argument (input value). Derivatives are a fundamental tool of calculus. F ...
operator). For the Bernoulli polynomials, the number of crossings of the ''x''-axis in the
unit interval In mathematics, the unit interval is the closed interval , that is, the set of all real numbers that are greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1. It is often denoted ' (capital letter ). In addition to its role in real analysis, ...
does not go up with the
degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...
. In the limit of large degree, they approach, when appropriately scaled, the sine and cosine functions. A similar set of polynomials, based on a generating function, is the family of Euler polynomials.


Representations

The Bernoulli polynomials ''B''''n'' can be defined by a
generating function In mathematics, a generating function is a way of encoding an infinite sequence of numbers () by treating them as the coefficients of a formal power series. This series is called the generating function of the sequence. Unlike an ordinary seri ...
. They also admit a variety of derived representations.


Generating functions

The generating function for the Bernoulli polynomials is :\frac= \sum_^\infty B_n(x) \frac. The generating function for the Euler polynomials is :\frac= \sum_^\infty E_n(x) \frac.


Explicit formula

:B_n(x) = \sum_^n B_ x^k, :E_m(x)= \sum_^m \frac \left(x-\frac\right)^ \,. for ''n'' ≥ 0, where ''B''''k'' are the
Bernoulli number In mathematics, the Bernoulli numbers are a sequence of rational numbers which occur frequently in analysis. The Bernoulli numbers appear in (and can be defined by) the Taylor series expansions of the tangent and hyperbolic tangent functions, ...
s, and ''E''''k'' are the
Euler numbers In mathematics, the Euler numbers are a sequence ''En'' of integers defined by the Taylor series expansion :\frac = \frac = \sum_^\infty \frac \cdot t^n, where \cosh (t) is the hyperbolic cosine function. The Euler numbers are related to a ...
.


Representation by a differential operator

The Bernoulli polynomials are also given by :B_n(x)= x^n where ''D'' = ''d''/''dx'' is differentiation with respect to ''x'' and the fraction is expanded as a
formal power series In mathematics, a formal series is an infinite sum that is considered independently from any notion of convergence, and can be manipulated with the usual algebraic operations on series (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, partial sum ...
. It follows that :\int _a^x B_n (u) ~du = \frac ~. cf. integrals below. By the same token, the Euler polynomials are given by : E_n(x) = \frac x^n.


Representation by an integral operator

The Bernoulli polynomials are also the unique polynomials determined by :\int_x^ B_n(u)\,du = x^n. The
integral transform In mathematics, an integral transform maps a function from its original function space into another function space via integration, where some of the properties of the original function might be more easily characterized and manipulated than in ...
:(Tf)(x) = \int_x^ f(u)\,du on polynomials ''f'', simply amounts to : \begin (Tf)(x) = f(x) & = \sum_^\infty f(x) \\ & = f(x) + + + + \cdots ~. \end This can be used to produce the inversion formulae below.


Another explicit formula

An explicit formula for the Bernoulli polynomials is given by :B_m(x)= \sum_^m \frac \sum_^n (-1)^k (x+k)^m. That is similar to the series expression for the
Hurwitz zeta function In mathematics, the Hurwitz zeta function is one of the many zeta functions. It is formally defined for complex variables with and by :\zeta(s,a) = \sum_^\infty \frac. This series is absolutely convergent for the given values of and and can ...
in the complex plane. Indeed, there is the relationship :B_n(x) = -n \zeta(1-n,x) where ''ζ''(''s'', ''q'') is the Hurwitz zeta function. The latter generalizes the Bernoulli polynomials, allowing for non-integer values of ''n''. The inner sum may be understood to be the ''n''th
forward difference A finite difference is a mathematical expression of the form . If a finite difference is divided by , one gets a difference quotient. The approximation of derivatives by finite differences plays a central role in finite difference methods for the ...
of ''x''''m''; that is, :\Delta^n x^m = \sum_^n (-1)^ (x+k)^m where Δ is the
forward difference operator A finite difference is a mathematical expression of the form . If a finite difference is divided by , one gets a difference quotient. The approximation of derivatives by finite differences plays a central role in finite difference methods for the ...
. Thus, one may write :B_m(x)= \sum_^m \frac \,\Delta^n x^m. This formula may be derived from an identity appearing above as follows. Since the forward difference operator Δ equals :\Delta = e^D - 1 where ''D'' is differentiation with respect to ''x'', we have, from the
Mercator series In mathematics, the Mercator series or Newton–Mercator series is the Taylor series for the natural logarithm: :\ln(1+x)=x-\frac+\frac-\frac+\cdots In summation notation, :\ln(1+x)=\sum_^\infty \frac x^n. The series converges to the natural ...
, : = = \sum_^\infty . As long as this operates on an ''m''th-degree polynomial such as ''x''''m'', one may let ''n'' go from 0 only up to ''m''. An integral representation for the Bernoulli polynomials is given by the Nörlund–Rice integral, which follows from the expression as a finite difference. An explicit formula for the Euler polynomials is given by :E_m(x)= \sum_^m \frac \sum_^n (-1)^k (x+k)^m\,. The above follows analogously, using the fact that : \frac = \frac = \sum_^\infty \Bigl(-\frac\Bigr)^n.


Sums of ''p''th powers

Using either the above integral representation of x^n or the
identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), ...
B_n(x + 1) - B_n(x) = nx^, we have :\sum_^x k^p = \int_0^ B_p(t) \, dt = \frac (assuming 00 = 1).


The Bernoulli and Euler numbers

The
Bernoulli number In mathematics, the Bernoulli numbers are a sequence of rational numbers which occur frequently in analysis. The Bernoulli numbers appear in (and can be defined by) the Taylor series expansions of the tangent and hyperbolic tangent functions, ...
s are given by \textstyle B_n=B_n(0). This definition gives \textstyle \zeta(-n) = \fracB_ for \textstyle n=0, 1, 2, \ldots. An alternate convention defines the Bernoulli numbers as \textstyle B_n=B_n(1). The two conventions differ only for n=1 since B_1(1)= \tfrac = -B_1(0). The
Euler number In mathematics, the Euler numbers are a sequence ''En'' of integers defined by the Taylor series expansion :\frac = \frac = \sum_^\infty \frac \cdot t^n, where \cosh (t) is the hyperbolic cosine function. The Euler numbers are related to a ...
s are given by E_n=2^nE_n(\tfrac).


Explicit expressions for low degrees

The first few Bernoulli polynomials are: : \begin B_0(x) & =1 \\ ptB_1(x) & =x-\frac \\ ptB_2(x) & =x^2-x+\frac \\ ptB_3(x) & =x^3-\fracx^2+\fracx \\ ptB_4(x) & =x^4-2x^3+x^2-\frac \\ ptB_5(x) & =x^5-\fracx^4+\fracx^3-\fracx \\ ptB_6(x) & =x^6-3x^5+\fracx^4-\fracx^2+\frac. \end The first few Euler polynomials are: : \begin E_0(x) & =1 \\ ptE_1(x) & =x-\frac \\ ptE_2(x) & =x^2-x \\ ptE_3(x) & =x^3-\fracx^2+\frac \\ ptE_4(x) & =x^4-2x^3+x \\ ptE_5(x) & =x^5-\fracx^4+\fracx^2-\frac \\ ptE_6(x) & =x^6-3x^5+5x^3-3x. \end


Maximum and minimum

At higher ''n'', the amount of variation in ''B''''n''(''x'') between ''x'' = 0 and ''x'' = 1 gets large. For instance, :B_(x)=x^-8x^+20x^-\fracx^+\fracx^-429x^8+\fracx^6 -\fracx^4+140x^2-\frac which shows that the value at ''x'' = 0 (and at ''x'' = 1) is −3617/510 ≈ −7.09, while at ''x'' = 1/2, the value is 118518239/3342336 ≈ +7.09. D.H. Lehmer showed that the maximum value of ''B''''n''(''x'') between 0 and 1 obeys :M_n < \frac unless ''n'' is 2 modulo 4, in which case :M_n = \frac (where \zeta(x) is the
Riemann zeta function The Riemann zeta function or Euler–Riemann zeta function, denoted by the Greek letter (zeta), is a mathematical function of a complex variable defined as \zeta(s) = \sum_^\infty \frac = \frac + \frac + \frac + \cdots for \operatorname(s) > ...
), while the minimum obeys :m_n > \frac unless ''n'' is 0 modulo 4, in which case :m_n = \frac. These limits are quite close to the actual maximum and minimum, and Lehmer gives more accurate limits as well.


Differences and derivatives

The Bernoulli and Euler polynomials obey many relations from
umbral calculus In mathematics before the 1970s, the term umbral calculus referred to the surprising similarity between seemingly unrelated polynomial equations and certain "shadowy" techniques used to "prove" them. These techniques were introduced by John Blis ...
: :\Delta B_n(x) = B_n(x+1)-B_n(x)=nx^, :\Delta E_n(x) = E_n(x+1)-E_n(x)=2(x^n-E_n(x)). (Δ is the
forward difference operator A finite difference is a mathematical expression of the form . If a finite difference is divided by , one gets a difference quotient. The approximation of derivatives by finite differences plays a central role in finite difference methods for the ...
). Also, : E_n(x+1) + E_n(x) = 2x^n. These
polynomial sequence In mathematics, a polynomial sequence is a sequence of polynomials indexed by the nonnegative integers 0, 1, 2, 3, ..., in which each index is equal to the degree of the corresponding polynomial. Polynomial sequences are a topic of interest in en ...
s are
Appell sequence In mathematics, an Appell sequence, named after Paul Émile Appell, is any polynomial sequence \_ satisfying the identity :\frac p_n(x) = np_(x), and in which p_0(x) is a non-zero constant. Among the most notable Appell sequences besides the ...
s: :B_n'(x)=nB_(x), :E_n'(x)=nE_(x).


Translations

:B_n(x+y)=\sum_^n B_k(x) y^ :E_n(x+y)=\sum_^n E_k(x) y^ These identities are also equivalent to saying that these polynomial sequences are
Appell sequence In mathematics, an Appell sequence, named after Paul Émile Appell, is any polynomial sequence \_ satisfying the identity :\frac p_n(x) = np_(x), and in which p_0(x) is a non-zero constant. Among the most notable Appell sequences besides the ...
s. (
Hermite polynomials In mathematics, the Hermite polynomials are a classical orthogonal polynomial sequence. The polynomials arise in: * signal processing as Hermitian wavelets for wavelet transform analysis * probability, such as the Edgeworth series, as well a ...
are another example.)


Symmetries

:B_n(1-x)=(-1)^nB_n(x),\quad n \ge 0, :E_n(1-x)=(-1)^n E_n(x) :(-1)^n B_n(-x) = B_n(x) + nx^ :(-1)^n E_n(-x) = -E_n(x) + 2x^n :B_n\left(\frac\right) = \left(\frac-1\right) B_n, \quad n \geq 0\text
Zhi-Wei Sun Sun Zhiwei (, born October 16, 1965) is a Chinese mathematician, working primarily in number theory, combinatorics, and group theory. He is a professor at Nanjing University. Biography Sun Zhiwei was born in Huai'an, Jiangsu. Sun and his twi ...
and Hao Pan established the following surprising symmetry relation: If and , then :r ,t;x,yn+s ,r;y,zn+t ,s;z,xn=0, where : ,t;x,yn=\sum_^n(-1)^k B_(x)B_k(y).


Fourier series

The
Fourier series A Fourier series () is a summation of harmonically related sinusoidal functions, also known as components or harmonics. The result of the summation is a periodic function whose functional form is determined by the choices of cycle length (or ''p ...
of the Bernoulli polynomials is also a
Dirichlet series In mathematics, a Dirichlet series is any series of the form \sum_^\infty \frac, where ''s'' is complex, and a_n is a complex sequence. It is a special case of general Dirichlet series. Dirichlet series play a variety of important roles in analyti ...
, given by the expansion :B_n(x) = -\frac\sum_\frac= -2 n! \sum_^ \frac. Note the simple large ''n'' limit to suitably scaled trigonometric functions. This is a special case of the analogous form for the
Hurwitz zeta function In mathematics, the Hurwitz zeta function is one of the many zeta functions. It is formally defined for complex variables with and by :\zeta(s,a) = \sum_^\infty \frac. This series is absolutely convergent for the given values of and and can ...
:B_n(x) = -\Gamma(n+1) \sum_^\infty \frac . This expansion is valid only for 0 ≤ ''x'' ≤ 1 when ''n'' ≥ 2 and is valid for 0 < ''x'' < 1 when ''n'' = 1. The Fourier series of the Euler polynomials may also be calculated. Defining the functions :C_\nu(x) = \sum_^\infty \frac and :S_\nu(x) = \sum_^\infty \frac for \nu > 1, the Euler polynomial has the Fourier series :C_(x) = \frac \pi^ E_ (x) and :S_(x) = \frac \pi^ E_ (x). Note that the C_\nu and S_\nu are odd and even, respectively: :C_\nu(x) = -C_\nu(1-x) and :S_\nu(x) = S_\nu(1-x). They are related to the
Legendre chi function In mathematics, the Legendre chi function is a special function whose Taylor series is also a Dirichlet series, given by \chi_\nu(z) = \sum_^\infty \frac. As such, it resembles the Dirichlet series for the polylogarithm, and, indeed, is triviall ...
\chi_\nu as :C_\nu(x) = \operatorname \chi_\nu (e^) and :S_\nu(x) = \operatorname \chi_\nu (e^).


Inversion

The Bernoulli and Euler polynomials may be inverted to express the
monomial In mathematics, a monomial is, roughly speaking, a polynomial which has only one term. Two definitions of a monomial may be encountered: # A monomial, also called power product, is a product of powers of variables with nonnegative integer exponent ...
in terms of the polynomials. Specifically, evidently from the above section on
integral operators In mathematics, an integral transform maps a function from its original function space into another function space via integration, where some of the properties of the original function might be more easily characterized and manipulated than i ...
, it follows that :x^n = \frac \sum_^n B_k (x) and :x^n = E_n (x) + \frac \sum_^ E_k (x).


Relation to falling factorial

The Bernoulli polynomials may be expanded in terms of the
falling factorial 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 ...
(x)_k as :B_(x) = B_ + \sum_^n \frac \left\ (x)_ where B_n=B_n(0) and :\left\ = S(n,k) denotes the
Stirling number of the second kind In mathematics, particularly in combinatorics, a Stirling number of the second kind (or Stirling partition number) is the number of ways to partition a set of ''n'' objects into ''k'' non-empty subsets and is denoted by S(n,k) or \textstyle \lef ...
. The above may be inverted to express the falling factorial in terms of the Bernoulli polynomials: :(x)_ = \sum_^n \frac \left \begin n \\ k \end \right\left(B_(x) - B_ \right) where :\left \begin n \\ k \end \right= s(n,k) denotes the
Stirling number of the first kind In mathematics, especially in combinatorics, Stirling numbers of the first kind arise in the study of permutations. In particular, the Stirling numbers of the first kind count permutations according to their number of cycles (counting fixed poin ...
.


Multiplication theorems

The
multiplication theorem Multiplication (often denoted by the cross symbol , by the mid-line dot operator , by juxtaposition, or, on computers, by an asterisk ) is one of the four elementary mathematical operations of arithmetic, with the other ones being additio ...
s were given by
Joseph Ludwig Raabe Joseph Ludwig Raabe (15 May 1801 in Brody, Galicia – 22 January 1859 in Zürich, Switzerland) was a Swiss mathematician. Life As his parents were quite poor, Raabe was forced to earn his living from a very early age by giving private lesson ...
in 1851: For a natural number , :B_n(mx)= m^ \sum_^ B_n \left(x+\frac\right) :E_n(mx)= m^n \sum_^ (-1)^k E_n \left(x+\frac\right) \quad \mbox m=1,3,\dots :E_n(mx)= \frac m^n \sum_^ (-1)^k B_ \left(x+\frac\right) \quad \mbox m=2,4,\dots


Integrals

Two definite integrals relating the Bernoulli and Euler polynomials to the Bernoulli and Euler numbers are: *\int_0^1 B_n(t) B_m(t)\,dt = (-1)^ \frac B_ \quad \text m,n \geq 1 *\int_0^1 E_n(t) E_m(t)\,dt = (-1)^ 4 (2^-1)\frac B_ Another integral formula states *\int_0^E_\left( x +y\right)\log(\tan \fracx)\,dx= n! \sum_^ \frac \left( 2-2^ \right)\zeta(2k+1) \frac with the special case for y=0 *\int_0^E_\left( x \right)\log(\tan \fracx)\,dx= \frac\left( 2-2^ \right)\zeta(2n+1) *\int_0^B_\left( x \right)\log(\tan \fracx)\,dx= \frac\frac\sum_^( 2^-1 )\zeta(2k+1)\zeta(2n-2k) *\int_0^E_\left( x \right)\log(\tan \fracx)\,dx=\int_0^B_\left( x \right)\log(\tan \fracx)\,dx=0 *\int_^=\frac\zeta \left( 2n-1 \right)


Periodic Bernoulli polynomials

A periodic Bernoulli polynomial is a Bernoulli polynomial evaluated at the
fractional part The fractional part or decimal part of a non‐negative real number x is the excess beyond that number's integer part. If the latter is defined as the largest integer not greater than , called floor of or \lfloor x\rfloor, its fractional part can ...
of the argument . These functions are used to provide the
remainder term In mathematics, a series is, roughly speaking, a description of the operation of adding infinitely many quantities, one after the other, to a given starting quantity. The study of series is a major part of calculus and its generalization, math ...
in the
Euler–Maclaurin formula In mathematics, the Euler–Maclaurin formula is a formula for the difference between an integral and a closely related sum. It can be used to approximate integrals by finite sums, or conversely to evaluate finite sums and infinite series using ...
relating sums to integrals. The first polynomial is a
sawtooth function The sawtooth wave (or saw wave) is a kind of non-sinusoidal waveform. It is so named based on its resemblance to the teeth of a plain-toothed saw with a zero rake angle. A single sawtooth, or an intermittently triggered sawtooth, is called a ...
. Strictly these functions are not polynomials at all and more properly should be termed the periodic Bernoulli functions, and is not even a function, being the derivative of a sawtooth and so a
Dirac comb In mathematics, a Dirac comb (also known as shah function, impulse train or sampling function) is a periodic function with the formula \operatorname_(t) \ := \sum_^ \delta(t - k T) for some given period T. Here ''t'' is a real variable and the ...
. The following properties are of interest, valid for all x : : \begin &P_k(x) \text k > 1 \\ pt&P_k'(x) \text k > 2 \\ pt&P'_k(x) = kP_(x), k > 2 \end


See also

*
Bernoulli numbers In mathematics, the Bernoulli numbers are a sequence of rational numbers which occur frequently in analysis. The Bernoulli numbers appear in (and can be defined by) the Taylor series expansions of the tangent and hyperbolic tangent functions, ...
*
Bernoulli polynomials of the second kind The Bernoulli polynomials of the second kind , also known as the Fontana-Bessel polynomials, are the polynomials defined by the following generating function: : \frac= \sum_^\infty z^n \psi_n(x) ,\qquad , z, -1 and :\gamma=\sum_^\infty\frac\B ...
*
Stirling polynomial In mathematics, the Stirling polynomials are a family of polynomials that generalize important sequences of numbers appearing in combinatorics and analysis, which are closely related to the Stirling numbers, the Bernoulli numbers, and the generali ...
*
Polynomials calculating sums of powers of arithmetic progressions The polynomials calculating sums of powers of arithmetic progressions are polynomials in a variable that depend both on the particular arithmetic progression constituting the basis of the summed powers and on the constant exponent, non-negative in ...


References

* Milton Abramowitz and Irene A. Stegun, eds. '' Handbook of Mathematical Functions with Formulas, Graphs, and Mathematical Tables'', (1972) Dover, New York. ''(See Chapter 23)'' * ''(See chapter 12.11)'' * * * ''(Reviews relationship to the Hurwitz zeta function and Lerch transcendent.)'' *


External links


A list of integral identities involving Bernoulli polynomials
from
NIST The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...
{{authority control Special functions Number theory Polynomials