No label defined (Q4530632)

The title refers to \textit{G. H. Hardy's} classic [Divergent series. Oxford: At the Clarendon Press (1949; Zbl 0032.05801)], which is the best-known book about summability of series and sequences. The book under review deals with summability of continued fractions (CFs) by a certain method, \(r/\varphi\)-algorithm. The authors consider CF in a very general form as the quotient of the determinant of an infinite matrix \(A= (a_{nk})\) with real entries by its principal minor: \[ \left|\begin{matrix} a_{11} & a_{12} &\cdots & a_{1n} &\cdots\\ a_{21} & a_{22} &\cdots & a_{2n} &\cdots\\ \vdots &\vdots &\cdots &\vdots &\cdots\\ a_{n1} & a_{n2} &\cdots & a_{nn} &\cdots\\ \vdots &\vdots &\cdots &\vdots & \cdots\end{matrix}\right|\times \left|\begin{matrix} a_{22} &\cdots & 2_{2n} &\cdots\\ \vdots &\cdots &\vdots &\cdots\\ a_{n2} &\cdots & a_{nn} &\cdots\\ \vdots &\cdots &\vdots &\cdots\end{matrix}\right|^{-1}.\tag{\(*\)} \] The usual CF \(b_0+ \text{K}^\infty_{n=1} {a_n\over b_n}:= (b_0+ a_1/(b_1+ a_2/(b_2+ a_3/(b_2+\cdots))))\) is determined by a three-diagonal matrix \(A\), where \(a_{mn}:= b_{n-1}\), \(a_{n,n+1}:= a_n\) and \(a_{n+1,n}:= -1\) \((n\in\mathbb{N})\). Another important CF model, the Hessenberg CF, is defined by a matrix \(A\) with \(a_{n+1,n}:= -1\) and \(a_{nk}:=0\) \((k< n-1)\). A CF \((*)\) is convergent if the sequence of approximants \((\omega_n)\) converges, where \(\omega_n:= P_n/Q_n\) and \[ P_n:= \left|\begin{matrix} a_{11} & a_{12} &\cdots & a_{1n}\\ a_{21} & a_{22} &\cdots & a_{2n}\\ \vdots &\vdots &\cdots &\vdots\\ a_{n1} & a_{n2} &\cdots & a_{nn}\end{matrix}\right|,\quad Q_n:= \left|\begin{matrix} a_{22} &\cdots & a_{2n}\\ \vdots &\cdots &\vdots\\ a_{n2} &\cdots & a_{nn}\end{matrix}\right|\quad (n\in\mathbb{N}). \] The authors call the CF\((*)\) \(r/\varphi\)-summable to a complex number \(z= r_0 e^{i\varphi_0}\), if there exist the limits \[ r_0:= \lim_{s\to\infty} \root s\of{\prod^s_{i=1}|\omega_i|}\quad\text{and}\quad \pi \lim_{s\to\infty} {k_s\over s}= |\varphi_0| \] (here \(k_s\) is the number of negative elements in the set \(\{\omega_1,\omega_2,\dots, \omega_s\}\)). The book starts with an informative historical introduction and is divided into eleven chapters. (1) Elementary properties of CFs; graphs; convergence. (2) CFs in matrix form; classification of CFs (ascending, ``up-down'', branched; Hessenberg's CFs); transformations, \(P\)-invariance; addition and multiplication. (3) Computation algorithms for CFs: BR-, FR-, Theichroew and Milne-Thomson matrix algorithm, method of continuants; methods of parallel computing. (4) Correspondence between CFs and power series: classification of correspondent CFs, C-fractions; the Heilermann-Stieltjes formulas and their generalizations; Rutishauser recurrent algorithm; Aitken's CFs. (5) \(r/\varphi\)-summability of periodic CFs; representation of complex numbers by CFs; generalized Binet formulas, their applications; the CFs with the periodic sequence of approximants; computing of periodic CFs. (6) Algebraic numbers as CFs: any periodic Hessenberg CF with \(n\) non-zero diagonals represents an algebraic number of \(n\)th degree (in the sense of the \(r/\varphi\)-summability). (7) Representation of functions by Hessenberg CFs in the sense of the \(r/\varphi\)-summability. (8) \(r/\varphi\)-summability and other convergence notions of CFs; extending by means of the \(r/\varphi\)-algorithm of complex valued functions to the complex plane (\(\ln(1+ z)\), \(\arctan z\), \(\text{Arth }z\), \((1+ z)^v\), \(\text{Ei}(z)\), gamma function, hypergeometrical function); convergence and \(r/\varphi\)-summability of limit periodic CFs. (9) Summability of divergent series and integrals by means of CFs; Laguerre method of summability; CF representation of trigonometric series. (10) Solution of linear algebraic equation systems by means of CFs. (11) CF representation of certain analytic functions. This book is not a typical monograph. The authors themselves write that their aim is not to give a systematic treatment of the theory of CFs, but to provide convincing arguments for the idea of the \(r/\varphi\)-summability. However, it is also a helpful handbook for researchers, engineers and graduate students who are interested in applications of CFs. The bibliography consists of 1923 references.