Example Using Frobenius Method

We want to find a basis for the solution space for the differential equation
2x2y 00 xy 0 + (1 + x2)y = 0 (1)
It can be shown that 0 is a singular point of (1) such that the Frobenius
method must be used to solve. The solution: Let

X X
r m
y=x am x = am xm+r
m=0 m=0
Therefore,

X
X
0 m+r1 r1
y = (m + r)am x =x (m + r)am xm
m=0 m=0
X
X
00 m+r2 r2
y = (m + r)(m + r 1)am x =x (m + r)(m + r 1)am xm.
m=0 m=0
Plugging into (1), we obtain

X
X
X
2 r2 m r1 m 2 r
2x x (m+r)(m+r1)amx xx (m+r)am x +(1+x )x am xm = 0.
m=0 m=0 m=0
Simplifying gives

X
X
X
X
r m r m r m r
x 2(m+r)(m+r1)amx x (m+r)am x +x am x +x am xm+2 = 0.
m=0 m=0 m=0 m=0
Therefore, we have
"
#
X X X X
xr 2(m + r)(m + r 1)am xm (m + r)am xm + am xm + am xm+2 = 0.
m=0 m=0 m=0 m=0
We need to make sure that the power of x in each sum is m, so we need to
change the indices on the last sum.
X X
m+2
am x = ak+2xk
let k=m+2
m=0 k=2
X
= am+2 xm.
let m=k
m=2

1
Substituting this above gives:
"
#
X X X X
xr 2(m + r)(m + r 1)am xm (m + r)am xm + am xm + am+2 xm = 0.
m=0 m=0 m=0 m=2

Now, the starting point of the sums does not match. To solve this problem,
we will take out the first two terms in each of the sums that start from
m = 0. This results in the following:

X
r
x [2(r)(r 1)a0 + 2(1 + r)(1 + r 1)a1x+ 2(m+r)(m+r1)amxm ra0
m=2

#
X X X
(1 + r)a1 x (m + r)am xm + a0 + a1 x + am xm + am+2 xm = 0.
m=2 m=2 m=2

Collecting terms gives:

xr [(2r(r 1) r + 1) a0 + (2(1 + r)r (1 + r) + 1) a1 x

#
X
+ {2(m + r)(m + r 1)am (m + r)am + am + am2} xm = 0.
m=2

We must determine r by finding the indicial equation. The indicial equation

is obtained by enforcing the requirement that the coefficient of xr must be 0
and a0 6= 0. This means that

(2r(r 1) r + 1)a0 = 0.

Since a0 6= 0,
2r(r 1) r + 1 = 0.
This is just the quadratic equation:

2r2 3r + 1 = 0.

Solving this using the quadratic formula yields:

3 98 1
r1,2 = = , 1.
2(2) 2

2
Now, we obtain a basis of solutions by the following: our goal is to obtain
two solutions,

X
r1
y1 = x am xm
m=0
X
y2 = xr2 am xm
m=0

First, r1 = 21 :
   
1 1 1 1
x2 2 1+ (1 + + 1 a1 x+
2 2 2
        #
X 1 1 1
2 m+ m + 1 am m + am + am + am2 xm = 0.
m=2
2 2 2

Simplifying gives

" #
1
X
2m2 m am + am2 xm = 0.


x 2 a1 x +
m=2

Since the right hand side is 0, all of the coefficients on the left hand side must
be 0, as well. Therefore,

a1 = 0
2m2 m am + am2 = 0, m 2

This means that

a1 = 0
am2
am = ,m 2
(2m2 m)

3
Then, plugging in values of m:
a0 a0
m = 2 :a2 = 2 =
2(2 ) 2 6
a1
m = 3 :a3 = 2 =0
2(3 ) 2
a2 a2 1  a0  a0
m = 4 :a4 = 2 = = =
2(4 ) 4 28 28 6 168
a3
m = 5 :a5 = 2 =0
2(5 ) 5
and so on. So, we obtain
a0 a0 4
y1 = a0 x2 + x ...
 6 168 
1 2 1 4
= a0 1 x + x ...
6 168
Second, r2 = 1:

x [(2(1 + 1)1 (1 + 1) + 1) a1 x+

#
X
{2(m + 1)(m + 1 1)am (m + 1)am + am + am2} xm = 0.
m=2

Simplifying gives

" #
X
2m2 + m am + am2 xm = 0.


x a1 x +
m=2

Since the right hand side is 0, all of the coefficients on the left hand side must
be 0, as well. Therefore,
a1 = 0
2


2m + m am + am2 = 0, m 2
This means that
a1 = 0
am2
am = ,m 2
(2m2 + m)
4
Then, plugging in values of m:
a0 a0
m = 2 :a2 = =
2(22) + 2 10
a1
m = 3 :a3 = 2 =0
2(3 ) + 2
 
a2 a2 1 a0 a0
m = 4 :a4 = 2 = = =
2(4 ) + 4 36 36 10 360
a3
m = 5 :a5 = 2 =0
2(5 ) + 5
and so on. So, we obtain
a0 a0 4
y2 = a0 x2 + x ...
 10 360 
1 2 1 4
= a0 1 x + x ...
10 360
A basis of solutions is obtained by letting a0 = 1 and a0 = 1.