Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/ia/paper-2/7b/solution

After division by , the equation is . Every is an ordinary point. The origin is singular, but it is a regular singular point because and are analytic there. An ordinary point has analytic normalized coefficients ; a singular point failing the displayed regularity test is irregular.
The Frobenius method ansatz gives the indicial equation , , and
For nonintegral , two independent solutions are
For integral , put . In the recurrence the denominator vanishes at , so that series fails or coincides in the exceptional case. Up to scale the single Frobenius series is
For , , so
Its integral contains both and ; multiplying by leaves a pole and a logarithmic term. Thus the reduction-of-order solution is not a power series at zero.

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