Mathematics, Department of
Document Type
Article
Date of this Version
1943
Abstract
In this paper we shall be concerned with the functions φka(z) defined by the relation
(1) φka(z) ≡{d/(dz)logℓα (z,q)}k = {[ℓά(z,q)] ÷ [ℓα(z,q)]k, α + 0, 1, 2, 3,
where ℓα(z, q) is a Jacobi theta function and k is a positive integer. In the first place, we shall derive the Fourier developments which represent these functions in a certain strip of the complex plane; it will be seen that the Fourier coefficients of φka(z) depend on those of φsa(z), s = 1, 2, 3, …, k - 1, through a recurrence relation of order k. Secondly, these developments, in conjunction with certain obvious identities, yield, through the method of paraphrase, some general arithmetical formulae of a type first given by Liouville. Indeed, we recover, in a simple manner, some results given without proof by Liouville, which were later proved by Bell through the use of somewhat complex identities involving a certain set of doubly periodic functions of the second kind. One of these results has recently been proved in a strictly elementary, but very ingenious way, by Uspensky. Finally, we indicate some applications of these formulae to the derivation of a certain type of arithmetic and algebraic identities.
Comments
Published in Bull. Amer. Math. Soc.49 (1943) 299-306. Used by permission.