Arun Bhaiyya -- A limerick


Texas ka famous letter writer, our Arun Bhaiya,
He loves to cook large amounts of lobhia,
Eating those greens,
Keeps him full of beans--
But TT: he thinks its a taste worse than ghia!

Arun Kumar used to write an interesting "Letter from Austin" which was quite famous in the early days of the Internet. Even now, his letters to his mailing list "dakghar" are quite interesting and varied in the topics they cover. Now these letters are being recorded as his Facebook notes. This piece was inspired by one of his Facebook notes, where he describes his love for cooking (and eating) lobhia. TeeTee (TT for short) is his son. I hear he is quite a mathematician and a hockey player.

How to Guess the Binomial Theorem for any index


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Newton extended the Binomial Theorem to the case where the index is no longer a non-negative integer. Newton did not provide a proof of the general case, where the index is a real number. We too will not provide a proof, but will motivate Newton's Binomial Theorem by showing some of the clues that lead to the statement of the general case.


We wish to generalize the identity
$$(1+x)^n=\sum_{k=0}^n {n\choose k} x^k$$
by replacing $n$ by a real number $a$. On the LHS, there is no problem, since the product $(1+x)^a$ makes sense for $a$ a real number. But on the RHS, there are two problems:


  1. The Binomial Coefficient ${n\choose k}$ is defined only when $n$ is a non-negative integer.
  2. The index of summation goes from $0$ to $n$, and thus $n$ has to be a non-negative integer.

The problems are easily solved. Note that ${n\choose k}$ may be written as
\begin{equation}\label{achoosek}
\frac{n(n-1)\cdots (n-k+1)}{k!},
\end{equation}
and \eqref{achoosek} makes sense if we replace $n$ by $a$.
Further, note that when $k>n$, then \eqref{achoosek} reduces to $0$. So we may as well write the Binomial Theorem as
$$(1+x)^n=\sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac{n(n-1)\cdots (n-k+1)}{k!} x^k.$$
Since all the terms of this series where $k$ is bigger than $n$ reduce to $0$, the series reduces to the finite sum of the familiar Binomial Theorem for non-negative integral index.

However, if we replace $n$ by a real number $a$, we may have to deal with an infinite series, and we need conditions for it to converge. It turns out the series converges whenever $|x|<1$. So finally, we are ready to state the Binomial Theorem for real index.
\begin{align}
(1+x)^a&=&\sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac{a(a-1)\cdots (a-k+1)}{k!} x^k, \text{ for $|x|<1$}\label{binseries} \\
&=& 1+ax+\frac{a(a-1)}{2!}x^2+\frac{a(a-1)(a-2)}{3!}x^3+\cdots\notag
\end{align}

The conditions we need on \( x\) are motivated by an example of the Binomial Theorem for real index that we have already seen. Recall the formula
$$\sum_{k=0}^\infty {x^k} = \frac{1}{1-x}, \text{ for $|x|<1$. }$$
for the sum of the geometric series with first term $1$ and common ratio $x$. This formula is a special case of \eqref{binseries}, where $a=-1$.

The q-analog of the Gamma Function


I have begun reading Bruce Berndt's "Ramanujan's Notebooks", Part III. Here is a small morsel from Ramanujan's table: Entry 1(ii) of Chapter 16 of his Notebooks. Its a discovery proof of the limit of the $q$-Gamma function, as $q$ goes to 1. In my humble opinion, this is easier than the usual proof (due to Gosper) which appears in Gasper and Rahman.

Download PDF or read below.

The $q$-analog of the Gamma Function

The objective of this note is to show how to arrive at the definition of the $q$-analog of the Gamma function. To do so, we "discover" the limit:
\begin{equation}\label{entry1ii} \newcommand{\qrfac}[2]{{\left({#1}; q\right)_{#2}}} \lim_{q\to 1} \frac{\qrfac{q}{\infty}}{(1-q)^x \qrfac{q^{x+1}}{\infty}}= \Gamma (x+1).
\end{equation}
Recall the limit definition of the Gamma function (from, for example Rainville [5, p. 11]):
$$\Gamma(x+1):=\lim_{n\to \infty} \frac{n! n^x}{(x+1)(x+2)\cdots (x+n)}.$$
To derive \eqref{entry1ii}, we find a $q$-analog of this limit. To that end, we use:
  1.  $\displaystyle \lim_{q\to 1} \frac{\qrfac{q}{n}}{(1-q)^n} = n!$ 
  2. $\displaystyle \lim_{q\to 1} \left(\frac{1-q^n}{1-q}\right)^x =n^x$ 
  3. $\displaystyle \lim_{q\to 1} \frac{\qrfac{q^{x+1}}{n}}{(1-q)^n}=(x+1)(x+2)\cdots (x+n)$  
 Thus, we have
 \begin{align*}\require{cancel} \Gamma(x+1)&= \lim_{n\to \infty} \frac{n! n^x}{(x+1)(x+2)\cdots (x+n)}\cr
& = \lim_{n\to \infty} \lim_{q\to 1} \frac{(1-q)^n}{\qrfac{q^{x+1}}{n}}\cdot \frac{\qrfac{q}{n}}{(1-q)^n} \cdot \left(\frac{1-q^n}{1-q}\right)^x\cr &= \lim_{q\to 1}\lim_{n\to \infty} \frac{\cancel{(1-q)^n}}{\qrfac{q^{x+1}}{n}}\cdot \frac{\qrfac{q}{n}}{\cancel{(1-q)^n}} \cdot \left(\frac{1-q^n}{1-q}\right)^x\cr &= \lim_{q\to 1} \frac{\qrfac{q}{\infty}}{\qrfac{q^{x+1}}{\infty}} \frac{1}{(1-q)^x}. \end{align*}
Here, we assume that the limits can be interchanged, and $|q|<1$. This completes the derivation of \eqref{entry1ii}.

 Given the relation \eqref{entry1ii}, we can define the $q$-Gamma function, for $|q|<1$, as \begin{equation}\label{qgammadef} \Gamma_q (x)= \frac{\qrfac{q}{\infty}}{(1-q)^{x-1} \qrfac{q^{x}}{\infty}}.
\end{equation}

Remarks. The proof by Gosper, reported by Andrews [1] and reproduced in Gasper and Rahman [4] uses Euler's Product definition of the Gamma Function. Equation \eqref{entry1ii} is Entry 1(ii) in Berndt [2, ch.16]. The limit definition is entry 2293 in Carr's book [3], so Ramanujan had access to it.

References
  1. G. E. Andrews, $q$-Series: Their development and application in analysis, number theory, combinatorics, physics and computer algebra, NSF CBMS Regional Conference Series, 66 1986.
  2. B. C. Berndt, Ramanujan's Notebooks, Part III, Springer Verlag, New York, 1991.
  3. G. S. Carr, Formulas and Theorems of Pure Mathematics, 2nd ed., Chelsea, NY, 1970.
  4. G. Gasper and M. Rahman, Basic Hypergeometric Series, Encyclopedia of Mathematics And Its Applications 35, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990; Second Ed. (2004). 
  5. E. D. Rainville, Special Functions, Chelsea, NY (1960).

Precalculus by Askey and Wu

Many years back, Professor Richard Askey sent me hard copies of some notes he had made, with a supplement by  H. Wu. I think these notes are just wonderful, and am placing them here.

Review of Pre-Calculus by Richard Askey and H. Wu
Precalculus - Further Notes by Richard Askey

Punya - A nearly Palindromic poem

Punya
~

Love
your palindromes,
everything
the poetry,
ambigrammed symmetry.
An inspiration-
your blog.
Hope you keep up with
your slog.
the perspiration:
programmed asymmetry,
Ambi-poettary,
anything
but palindromes!
love

~
GB


~~
This was inspired by a blog post by Punya, about an 8th grader who loved his palindromic poetry. The associated facebook page attracted some comments admiring Punya, including a little palindromic poem by me. 


While I am not an 8th grader anymore, I do feel many times that I am still in 12th grade. 
So, I thought of a  
nearly-palindromic poem. 

So near a palindromic poem, yet far from it. The first of its kind. Enjoy. Or not.

Identities and Mathematical Intuition: Talk in DPS - Dwarka to DPS Math Teachers

On April 18th, I gave a talk on Identities to Delhi Public School (DPS) Math teachers  attending a training conference/workshop. The teachers were from DPSs all over the country and teach in senior school (XIth-XIIth).


The overall idea of the talk was to organize information about identities according to the three kinds of mathematical intuition I have spoken about earlier. The three kinds of mathematical intuition are: Symbolic, graphical or physical intuition, and structural intuition. These are motivated by the following quote:
…some mathematicians are more endowed with the talent of making pictures, others with that of juggling symbols and yet others with the ability of picking a flaw in an argument.
~Gian Carlo Rota 

Sunil Mittal

A schoolboy, named Sunil Mittal,
What goes through 
his adolescent mind?

Here's a clue:

The movies playing in his brain
and the color of his uniform,
are both the same.

They are Blue!



Sunil is a friend from modern school. This one came up on FB as a comment on a discussion. 

In Praise of an Elementary Identity of Euler

After many years, a new math paper. Its mostly a survey of my favorite identities, but has some new identities too. The new results have been checked (as typeset in the paper) using Maxima.  I have tried to write the first few sections so that  anyone can read and appreciate it.
I would appreciate any comments, typos, etc.

Update (March 16, 2011):
Presentation from: Georgia Southern q-Series conference, March 15. Here is a link.

Update (June 11, 2011): The paper is published by the Electronic J. of Combinatorics, Vol 18 (2), P13 44 pp. Download.


Keywords:
Telescoping, Fibonacci Numbers,  Pell Numbers, Derangements, Hypergeometric Series, Fibonacci Polynomials,  q-Fibonacci Numbers,  q-Pell numbers, Basic Hypergeometric Series, q-series, Binomial Theorem, q-Binomial Theorem, Chu--Vandermonde sum, q-Chu--Vandermonde sum, Pfaff--Saalschutz sum, q-Pfaff--Saalschutz sum, q-Dougall summation, very-well-poised 6 phi 5 sum, Generalized Hypergeometric Series, WZ Method

My Mathematical Forefathers

From time to time, I look at the Mathematics Genealogy Project, and search for my own mathematical tree. I was happy to note that I am a direct descendant of Gauss and of Leibnitz. What I noticed today, was that I am a mathematical cousin of Saroj Malik, my teacher in Hindu College, who taught me abstract algebra and elementary number theory. We branch out at Gauss.

Here is the complete list of my mathematical forefathers.

  • Friedrich Leibnitz
  • Jakob Thomasius
  • Otto Mencke
  • Johann Christoph Wichmannshausen
  • Christian August Hausen
  • Abraham Gotthelf Kästner
  • Johann Friedrich Pfaff
  • Carl Friedrich Gauß
  • Christoph Gudermann
  • Karl Theodor Wilhelm Weierstraß
  • Leo Königsberger
  • Georg Alexander Pick
  • Charles Loewner
  • Adriano Mario Garsia
  • Stephen Carl Milne
  • Gaurav Bhatnagar


Math Problem Book - Grade 6

Here is a book made from some problem sets I used to give Tejasi and her friends in my garage. The explanations have been added later on. Most of the kids who took these problem sets benefited...in the sense that they began doing well in exams. Here is a collection of the problem sets for grade 6.

Click here to download/view Math Problem Book - Grade 6

Experience Mathematics

A book I wrote long ago. Recently, I re-edited it based on comments made by Professor Dick Askey. Looking for a publisher, but meanwhile here it is for my friends and their kids...

Click here to view the PDF File

The q-disease

Special Functions,
by Andrews, Askey and Roy.
Here's a belated review,
and a thank you.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Beauty in mathematics,
said Polya,
is seeing the truth
without effort.

Everything
in The Book
is as elegant,
as could be.

Everything
as simple,
as effortless,
as should be.

Everything
as beautiful,
as it is.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Design II


Design II
Ambigram by punyamishra


A great design:
Everything fits in nicely
into one complete whole.

Not a hair out of place,
and not one thing
more
than what is
needed.

The form
and the function,
made for each other.

GB #32

Paradox


Paradox
Ambigram by punyamishra


All Cretans are liars
said Epiminedes,
a Cretan,
a classic Paradox.

If Epiminedes tells the truth
then he must be lying.
And if he is lying,
he is telling the truth.