Thermal Spreading and Contact Resistance

Appendix ASpecial Functions

Special functions arise in the solution of ordinary and partial differential equations. These functions are defined in terms of integrals and/or infinite series. Of particular interest to engineers are the Gamma and Beta functions, the Gaussian error function, the Bessel functions, Legendre functions, and elliptic integrals. Other functions which appear in mathematical physics which we will not consider include those related to the Bessel functions: spherical Bessel, Hankel, Struve, Airy, and Kelvin functions. Those related to the elliptic integrals: the Jacobi elliptic functions, other integral functions such as the Fresnel integrals, the family of orthogonal polynomials: Hermite, Laguerre, Jacobi, and Chebyshev, ...