A Three Term Boundary Value Problem

Exceptional Case for Non-Simple Root

DingOunan
June 10, 2008

This is the solution for the exceptional case left to the reader in section 1.4
of the book Generatingfunctionology(3rd edition).
Let’s start with the equation (1.15):

{a + bx + cx2 }U (x) = x{D(x) + au1 + cuN −1 xN }

U (x) will be solved with the two unknown variables u1 and uN −1 solved from
equations given by substituting in the two distinct roots of the polynomial
a + bx + cx2 = 0.
Clearly there is only one equation given the Non-Simple root such that we can
not get the exact value of u1 and uN −1 :

0 = r{D(r) + au1 + cuN −1 rN } (1)

Note that the derivative of a ‘perfect square polynomial’, a + bx + cx2 = 0,

in our case, has the same root of the original one:

P (r) = P ′ (r) = 0, where P (x) = (x − r)2 (2)

And au1 is a constant in the equation (1.15) relative to x.

These two properties lead us to the point where comes the insight.
Let P (x) = a + bx + cx2 and Q(x) = D(x) + au1 + cuN −1 xN . Find the
derivative of both sides of the equation (1.15):
d d
{{a + bx + cx2 }U (x)} = {x{D(x) + au1 + cuN −1 xN }} (3)
dx dx
d d
{P (x)U (x)} = {Q(x)x} (4)
dx dx
P (x)U (x) + P (x)U ′ (x)
′
= Q(x) + Q′ (x)x (5)
′ ′ ′ N −1
P (x)U (x) + P (x)U (x) = Q(x) + x{D (x) + cuN −1 N x } (6)

We can assume x a non-zero variable since we don’t take the analytical properties
of generating function into consideration for now. So Q(r) = P (r)U (r)/r = 0 if
r is the non-simple root of P .
By substituting in r we will get:

1
 P ′ (r)U (r) + P (r)U ′ (r) = Q(r) + r{D′ (r) + cuN −1 N rN −1 } (7)
0 = r{D′ (r) + cuN −1 N rN −1 } (8)
X
N −1
where ′
D (r) = jdj rj−1 (9)
j=1

U (x) is solved completely combined with equation (1) and (8).