Introduction to Properties of Power Series

In the preceding section on power series and functions we showed how to represent certain functions using power series. In this section we discuss how power series can be combined, differentiated, or integrated to create new power series. This capability is particularly useful for a couple of reasons. First, it allows us to find power series representations for certain elementary functions, by writing those functions in terms of functions with known power series. For example, given the power series representation for [latex]f\left(x\right)=\frac{1}{1-x}[/latex], we can find a power series representation for [latex]{f}^{\prime }\left(x\right)=\frac{1}{{\left(1-x\right)}^{2}}[/latex]. Second, being able to create power series allows us to define new functions that cannot be written in terms of elementary functions. This capability is particularly useful for solving differential equations for which there is no solution in terms of elementary functions.