The hypergeometric function - a biographical sketch

DOI10.1007/BF03024173MaRDI QIDQ1079710zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors B. George

Publication date 1985

Published in The Mathematical Intelligencer (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03024173

zbMATH Keywords

survey

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

History of mathematics in the 18th century (01A50) History of mathematics in the 19th century (01A55) History of special functions (33-03) Classical hypergeometric functions, ({}_2F_1) (33C05)

Review text

The author presents 'a series of snapshots showing how the hypergeometric function made its appearance'. That is, a survey is given of the problems faced by and the major results obtained by mathematicians concerned with hypergeometric functions in the 18th and 19th centuries. The author of course gives his comments to these developments, and finally he discusses the difficulties of writing the history.

Recommendations

• The early history of the hypergeometric function
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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3921171
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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3540936 (Why is no real title available?)
• Vorlesungen über die Hypergeometrische Funktion

Cited in

(6)

• Hypergeometric heritage of W. N. Bailey
• The foundational aspects of Gauss's work on the hypergeometric, factorial and digamma functions
• Linear differential equations and group theory from Riemann to Poincaré.
• Polylogarithms, functional equations and more: the elusive essays of William Spence (1777-1815)
• Hypergeometric functions, from Riemann till present
• The early history of the hypergeometric function

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