Chebyshev expansions and rational approximations

摘要

Let A(z) = Am(z) + amzmB(z,m) where Am(z) is a polynomial in z of degree m-1. Suppose A(z) and B(z,m) are approximated by main diagonal Padé approximations of order n and r respectively. Suppose that the number of operations needed to evaluate both sides of the above equations by means of the Padé approximations and polynomial noted are the same. Thus 4n = 3m + 4r. We address ourselves to the question of which procedure is more efficient? That is, which procedure produces the smallest error? A variant of this problem is the situation where A(z) and B(z,m) are approximated by their representations in infinite series of Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind truncated after n and r terms respectively. Here n = m + r.Let F(z) have two different series type representations in overlapping or completely disjoint regions of the complex z-plane. Suppose that for each representation there is a sequence of rational approximations of the same type, say of the Padé class, which converge for |arg z| < π except possibly for some finite set of points. Assume that the number of machine operations required to make evaluations using the noted approximations are the same. Again, we ask which procedure is best? Other variants are studied.General answers to the above questions are not known. Instead, we illustrate the ideas for a number of the rather common special functions.