G. N. Watson – författare

The late Professor G. N. Watson wrote his monumental 1995 treatise on the theory of Bessel functions with two objects in view. The first was the development of applications of the fundamental processes of the theory of complex variables; and the second was the compilation of a collection of results of value to mathematicians and physicists, who encounter Bessel functions in the course of their researches. The completeness of his theoretical account, combined with the wide scope of the practical examples and the extensive numerical tables, have resulted in a book which is indispensable to pure and applied mathematicians, as well as to physicists.

Originally published in 1914 as number fifteen in the Cambridge Tracts in Mathematics and Mathematical Physics series, this book provides a concise proof of Cauchy's Theorem, along with some applications of the theorem to the evaluation of definite integrals. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of mathematics.

This classic work has been a unique resource for thousands of mathematicians, scientists and engineers since its first appearance in 1902. Never out of print, its continuing value lies in its thorough and exhaustive treatment of special functions of mathematical physics and the analysis of differential equations from which they emerge. The book also is of historical value as it was the first book in English to introduce the then modern methods of complex analysis. This fifth edition preserves the style and content of the original, but it has been supplemented with more recent results and references where appropriate. All the formulas have been checked and many corrections made. A complete bibliographical search has been conducted to present the references in modern form for ease of use. A new foreword by Professor S.J. Patterson sketches the circumstances of the book's genesis and explains the reasons for its longevity. A welcome addition to any mathematician's bookshelf, this will allow a whole new generation to experience the beauty contained in this text.