On the solution of a class of integral equations

In this paper we consider a class of Fredholm integral equations of the first kind which arise in a large number of problems in applied mathematics. Although only certain special cases of the equations can be solved exactly, it is shown that a constructive method can be developed for reformulating the equations as Fredholm integral equations of the second kind. This approach will be seen to cover and bring together the large number of isolated cases of the equations which have appeared in the literature. Several examples are given to illustrate the general method.