Polynomial solutions of the classical equations of Hermite,Legendre, and Chebyshev

The classical differential equations of Hermite, Legendre, and Chebyshev are well known for their polynomial solutions. These polynomials occur in the solutions to numerous problems in applied mathematics, physics, and engineering. However, since these equations are of second order, they also have second linearly independent solutions that are not polynomials. These solutions usually cannot be expressed in terms of elementary functions alone. In this paper, the classical differential equations of Hermite, Legendre, and Chebyshev are studied when they have a forcing term x ^M on the right-hand side. It will be shown that for each equation, choosing a certain initial condition is a necessary and sufficient condition for ensuring a polynomial solution. Once this initial condition is determined, the exact form of the polynomial solution is presented.