Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2002/paper-1/6/a/solution

Divide the Chebyshev differential equation by . Its coefficients and are analytic at zero, so The finite singular points of a differential equation are .
Insert , . The coefficient of the lowest power is , hence or . The next power gives , and the remaining powers yield
For , is free and
Choosing selects the even power series, with . For , the next-power equation forces and
This selects the odd power series, with . Their different initial values prove linear independence. Although the Frobenius method produces two possible leading exponents, zero is an ordinary point, and a general series already includes both initial constants.

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