Definition:Mathieu's Equation

Definition

Mathieu's equation is the second-order ordinary differential equation:

$\dfrac {\d^2 y} {\d x^2} + \paren {a + b \cos 2 x} y = 0$

where $a$ and $b$ are real constants.

Also see

• General Solution to Mathieu's Equation

• Results about Mathieu's equation can be found here.

Source of Name

This entry was named for Émile Léonard Mathieu.

Historical Note

Mathieu's equation was studied by Émile Léonard Mathieu.

Sources

• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Mathieu's equation
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Mathieu's equation