Power-law ansatz ($y=x^s$)

A power-law ansatz assumes that an unknown function is a monomial $y=x^s$. Scale-invariant differential equations then reduce to an algebraic equation for the exponent $s$.

An indicial equation is the algebraic equation for the leading exponent of a power-law or Frobenius solution near a regular singular point.

An indicial root is a root of the indicial equation obtained from a power-law ansatz. For a Cauchy-Euler differential equation, such roots give the exponents of its power solutions. Their sign determines which modes remain bounded near a singular endpoint.

An indicial exponent is a root of the indicial equation at a regular singular point. It gives the leading local power in a Frobenius method; resonant roots can require logarithmic terms.

A log-periodic oscillation is periodic in the logarithm of its argument, for example $\cos (\mu \log x)$. Its successive zeros or extrema therefore occur at radii in a geometric progression.