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DLMF Project News

Recent News

Recent News

2023-12-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.12

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.12 (December 15, 2023) for details).

2023-10-24 Diego Dominici, Associate Editor of the DLMF, dies at age 51

We regret having to report that Diego Dominici passed away on October 16, 2023. Please see Diego Dominici for a tribute and obituary.

2023-09-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.11

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.11 (September 15, 2023) for details).

2023-06-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.10

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.10 (June 15, 2023) for details).

2023-06-15 Brian R. Judd, DLMF Validator, dies at age 92

We regret having to report that Brian R. Judd passed away on April 8, 2023. Please see Brian R. Judd for an update.

2023-06-15 Ross Barnett, DLMF Validator, died at age 79

We regret having to report that Ross R. Barnett passed away on November 21, 2018. Please see Antony Ross Barnett for an update.

2023-03-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.9; MathML is now default

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.9 (March 15, 2023) for details).

DLMF now uses browser-native MathML rendering for mathematics, by default, in all browsers which support MathML. See About MathML for more details and for other options.

2022-12-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.8; MathML improvements

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.8 (December 15, 2022) for details). Our mathematics markup now conforms with the MathML Core specification and should be acceptable in most browsers (current Firefox, Safari and the upcoming Chrome release; see About MathML for details).

2022-12-15 Richard B. Paris, Associate Editor of the DLMF, dies at age 76

We regret having to report that Richard B. Paris passed away on July 8, 2022. Please see Richard B. Paris for a tribute and obituary.

2022-10-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.7; Enhanced coverage of Lambert W

This update includes enhanced coverage of the Lambert W-function along with other corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.7 (October 15, 2022) for details).

2022-06-30 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.6

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.6 (June 30, 2022) for details).

2022-03-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.5

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.5 (March 15, 2022) for details).

2022-01-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.4

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.4 (January 15, 2022) for details).

2021-09-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.3

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.3 (September 15, 2021) for details).

2021-07-19 Brian D. Sleeman, Associate Editor of the DLMF, dies at age 81

We regret having to report that Brian D. Sleeman passed away on July 19, 2021. Please see Brian D. Sleeman for a tribute and obituary.

2021-06-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.2

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.2 (June 15, 2021) for details).

2021-03-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.1

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.1.1 (March 15, 2021) for details).

2020-12-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.1.0

This release increments the minor version number and contains considerable additions of new material and clarifications. These additions were facilitated by an extension of the scheme for reference numbers. (see Version 1.1.0 (December 15, 2020) for details).

2020-09-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.28

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.28 (September 15, 2020) for details).

2020-09-15 Ranjan Roy, Associate Editor of the DLMF, dies at age 73

We regret having to report that Ranjan Roy passed away on August 12, 2020. Please see Ranjan Roy for an update.

2020-06-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.27

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.27 (June 15, 2020) for details).

2020-06-15 Leonard C. Maximon, Associate Editor of the DLMF, dies at age 94

We regret having to report that Leonard C. Maximon passed away on January 4, 2020. Please see Leonard C. Maximon for an update.

2020-03-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.26

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.26 (March 15, 2020) for details).

2019-12-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.25

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.25 (December 15, 2019) for details).

2019-12-15 Richard A. Askey, Associate Editor of the DLMF, dies at age 86

We regret having to report that Richard A. Askey passed away on October 9, 2019. Please see Richard A. Askey for a tribute and obituary.

2019-09-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.24

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.24 (September 15, 2019) for details).

The editorial board was expanded to include Howard S. Cohl as Technical Editor and Marjorie A. McClain as Associate Technical Editor.

2019-06-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.23

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.23 (June 15, 2019) for details).

2019-03-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.22

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.22 (March 15, 2019) for details).

2018-12-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.21

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.21 (December 15, 2018) for details).

2018-09-15 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.20

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.20 (September 15, 2018) for details).

2018-06-22 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.19

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.19 (June 22, 2018) for details).

2018-06-22 Philip J. Davis, A&S Author, dies at age 95

We regret having to report that Philip J. Davis passed away on March 14, 2018. Please see Philip J. Davis for a tribute and obituary.

2018-03-27 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.18

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.18 (March 27, 2018) for details).

2017-12-22 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.17

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.17 (December 22, 2017) for details).

2017-12-22 Tom M. Apostol, DLMF Author and Validator, dies at age 92

We regret having to report that Tom M. Apostol passed away on May 8, 2016. Please see Tom M. Apostol for an update.

2017-09-18 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.16

This update includes several corrections and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.16 (September 18, 2017) for details).

2017-06-01 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.15

This update includes the addition of a new subsection, a change of notation for integral transforms and other clarifications. The graphical decorations, icons and mouse-cursors were freshened to improve interaction and updated to SVG. (see Version 1.0.15 (June 1, 2017) for details).

2016-12-21 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.14

This update includes another set of corrections caught by our readers, improvements in notation and additional citations and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.14 (December 21, 2016) for details).

2016-09-16 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.13

This update includes just a single item; a fix was made to a typographical error made in (13.9.16). (see Version 1.0.13 (September 16, 2016) for details).

2016-09-09 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.12

This update includes another set of corrections caught by our readers, improvements in notation and additional citations and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.12 (September 9, 2016) for details). We’ve also updated our How to Cite recommendations.

2016-06-08 Future expansion

The Editors of the NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions have begun to consider how current content can be improved or enlarged. Input from the community is quite welcome as we begin this process. Please send your thoughts to DLMF Feedback.

2016-06-08 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.11

This update includes some small additions, some corrections caught by our readers, improvements in notation and additional citations and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.11 (June 8, 2016) for details).

2015-08-08 New Feature: List of Figures/Tables

Not mentioned in the previous news item was two new features: List of Figures and List of Tables.

2015-08-07 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.10

This update includes some corrections caught by our readers, improvements in notation and additional citations and clarifications. (see Version 1.0.10 (August 7, 2015) for details).

2015-07-01 Launch of DLMF Standard Reference Tables web service

Version 1.0 (beta) of the DLMF Standard Reference Tables web service (DLMF Tables) has been released. Its goal is to provide a standard of comparison for testing numerical software by computing, on demand, values of selected special functions to user-defined precision with guaranteed error bounds.

DLMF Tables has the following features:

  1. 1.

    arguments are read from web form or uploaded file;

  2. 2.

    user-specified precision (up to 500 digits);

  3. 3.

    computation errors (truncation and rounding) are analyzed a priori to satisfy the required accuracy;

  4. 4.

    provides strict high-precision enclosures (upper/lower bounds);

  5. 5.

    optional round to nearest or directed roundings;

  6. 6.

    comparison to user-supplied function values, highlighting any differences and providing approximate relative errors;

  7. 7.

    links to function definitions in http://dlmf.nist.gov/, the NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions.

DLMF Tables is available at http://dlmftables.uantwerpen.be/

It is a result of collaboration between the NIST Applied and Computational Mathematics Division and the University of Antwerp Computational Mathematics Research Group. Any comments on the new service will be gratefully received at DLMFTables Feedback.

2014-08-29 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.9

This update includes a few corrections caught by our readers, improvements in notation and additional citations and clarifications (see Version 1.0.9 (August 29, 2014) for details).

2014-04-25 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.8; errata & improved MathML

This update includes corrections caught by our readers, along with a few clarifications (see Version 1.0.8 (April 25, 2014) for details).

We also changed the characters previously used for exponential e, imaginary i and differential d, from special Unicode characters, which were not always available locally for use by browsers, to normal characters. In addition, some minor changes to page layouts have been implemented.

The editorial board was expanded to include Barry I. Schneider as Associate General Editor, Bruce R. Miller as Information Technology Editor and Bonita V. Saunders as Visualization Editor.

2014-03-21 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.7; New Features improve Math & 3D Graphics

This significant update enhances the accessibility, portability and usability of DLMF:

  • New Feature:

    The default document format is now HTML5 which includes MathML providing better accessibility and display of mathematics. See Browsers for more information and solutions to potential problems.

  • New Feature:

    All interactive 3D graphics have been recast using WebGL and X3DOM, which is now the default format. This improves portability and performance; It is now possible to interactively rotate, scale and explore function surfaces without downloading a special plugin. An example can be seen at Figure 5.3.4.

    See Viewing DLMF Interactive 3D Graphics for more information and solutions to potential problems.

  • Additionally, several errata and clarifications have been made (see Version 1.0.7 (March 21, 2014) for details).

2013-08-16 Bille C. Carlson, DLMF Author, dies at age 89

We regret reporting that Bille C. Carlson passed away on August 16. Please see Bille C. Carlson for an obituary.

2013-04-23 Frank W. J. Olver, Editor-in-Chief of the DLMF, dies at age 88

We are very sad to report that Frank W. J. Olver passed away on April 23. Please see Frank W. J. Olver for a tribute and obituary.

2013-05-06 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.6

This minor update improves rendering in various ways, primarily tracking changes to underlying the LaTeXML system.

2012-10-01 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.5

This update includes several corrections caught by our readers, along with a number of clarifications and small additions of useful additional material (see Version 1.0.5 (October 1, 2012) for details). The suggestions at How to Cite should be more useful, and sample BibTeX entries are now provided. Additionally, the production process has improved the fidelity of the web conversion, resulting in better layout and presentation of math.

2012-10-01 Problems with Internet Explorer 9 & MathPlayer 2.2

We have reports of problems with MathML display when using MathPlayer 2.2 with IE9. Previous versions, such as IE8, seem to work well. The beta version 3 of MathPlayer should work better; please monitor Design Science’s MathPlayer plugin pages for information about updates.

As a last resort, recall that you can choose the HTML+images format in the Customize DLMF page — although we would hope this need only be a temporary measure.

2012-03-23 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.4

This minor update improves rendering of math (particularly continued fractions and line-breaks) and graphics (some diagrams and larger VRML) in several places, as well as enhancements to navigation and additions to the software index. Updated information about VRML and 3D browsers is available; see Viewing DLMF Interactive 3D Graphics.

2011-10-19 Digital Library of Mathematical Functions Team Cited for IT Innovation

The NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions was selected for recognition as an Outstanding Information Technology Achievement in Government for 2011 by Government Computer News (GCN). According to GCN, these awards “have come to symbolize the best and most notable IT accomplishments in advancing the work of government agencies.” Ten projects were selected for recognition this year from more than 200 nominations. The selection was based on “the degree of innovation in the technology plan carried out, the quality of the leadership that carried the project to fruition,” and “the degree to which a given IT project improved an agency’s ability to operate more efficiently or serve the public more effectively”. Other awardees this year include an app from the City of Boston that enables citizens to request city services from their smartphones and the IT infrastructure that supports the TSA’s secure flight program.NIST staff members cited for this achievement are Daniel Lozier, Frank Olver, Ronald Boisvert, Bruce Miller, Bonita Saunders, Marjorie McClain, Abdou Youssef, Qiming Wang, Brian Antonishek, and Charles Clark. The project team was formally honored at the 24th Annual GCN Awards Gala, October 19, 2011 at the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner in McLean, Va. For further information see http://gcn.com/articles/2011/08/05/2011-gcn-award-winners.aspx?sc_lang=en and http://gcn.com/articles/2011/10/17/nist-math-handbook-profile-main.aspx.

2011-08-29 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.3

This update makes some clarifications (see Version 1.0.3 (Aug 29, 2011) for details), along with other minor modifications to the online version: additions to the software index (see Software Index); updated help files; a correction to the VRML phase coloring for 22.3.24; and improved associations between notations described in Mathematical Introduction and their usages.

2011-08-11 Safari 5.1 supports MathML

We are pleased to acknowledge native support for MathML in Version 5.1 of the Safari web browser! While it is an excellent initial implementation, it omits support for the mmultiscripts element — a critical element for presenting hypergeometric functions.

To avoid confusion, we regret not yet delivering MathML to Safari browsers, by default. In the meantime, those Safari users who wish to experiment with MathML may enable it by checking XHTML+MathML for ‘Document Format’ at Customize DLMF; the use of STIX fonts is also encouraged (See Special fonts for MathML).

We will continue to monitor Safari development.

2011-07-01 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.2

A quick followup improves rendering in several places, particularly for InternetExplorer; the help pages were revised.

2011-06-27 DLMF Update; Version 1.0.1

We are proud to announce an update of the DLMF to version 1.0.1 which corrects a number of issues:

  • A small number of errors and clarifications were made, see Version 1.0.1 (June 27, 2011) for details;

  • The listings of available software for special functions have been updated, see Software Index for details

  • Several improvements were made to the document conversion, layout and presentation.

2011-03-21 Firefox 3 users should upgrade

The just-released version 4 of Firefox fixes a disturbing MathML display bug. Previously, unless STIX fonts were installed, the surd for the square root of a fraction would not stretch enough to cover both the numerator and denominator. This caused, for example, the first square root within the parentheses in 8.11.12 to look like sqrt(pi)/2 rather than sqrt(pi/2). (See Mozilla Bug 454155).

Users of Firefox before version 4 should upgrade; when that is not possible, installing the STIX fonts is recommended (See Special fonts for MathML).

[Incidentally, such rendering errors can easily be verified by comparing the displayed MathML to the source  code or the png image of the formula which can be found under ‘Encoding’ in the ‘info box’ (hover over or click the [Uncaptioned image] symbol next to every numbered formula)].

2010-05-11 Handbook published and DLMF goes public

We are proud to announce the public availability of the Digital Library of Mathematical Functions as well as the publishing of the NIST Handbook of Mathematical Functions by Cambridge University Press, effective this date.

2010-05-06 Firefox 3.6 slow on Windows amended

There appears to be a performance regression for Firefox versions 3.6.x when running under some versions of Windows, causing complex pages with large amounts of MathML — such as ours — to display very slowly. This problem is fixed in version 3.6.9 and later (See Mozilla Bug 564309).

2009-03-19 Cambridge University Press selected as publisher for the DLMF handbook version.

Cambridge University Press has been selected as publisher for the handbook version of the NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions (DLMF). This selection was made by evaluating and ranking several proposals that responded to the publicly announced request for proposals and were received by the deadline.

Final preparation of the handbook and Web versions is in process. The approximately simultaneous publication of the handbook and release of the Web site will occur in late 2009 or early 2010.

2008-11-07 Call for proposals to publish a printed version of the DLMF. (Updated 2008-11-21)

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) seeks proposals from publishers interested in licensing the rights to produce and market a printed version of the NIST Digital Library of Mathematical Functions (DLMF). For complete information see Public Announcement.

Clarifications:

For the 3D graphics in the book, do they require 3D glasses?

No. Although an interesting idea, there is no consideration of special viewing aids for the book version of the DLMF.

If all the material in the book will be on the web, do you really want to add the expense of a DVD to the book?

Please understand that the DVD (or other suitable media, such as CD) will contain only PDF files of the book version of the DLMF. There is no intention to reproduce the Web version for distribution with the book. The Web version will be accessible from the NIST DLMF website and, potentially, from NIST-authorized mirror sites.

What is the total number of figures and the total number of color figures? Ballpark figures are fine.

By a recent approximate count, there are 409 figures. Of these, 347 include color. The 3D surfaces with continuous color account for 140 of the color figures; 2D line graphs and diagrams with solid-colored lines account for the remainder.

On page 5 of the Public Announcement, it’s stated, under Initial Production, that a proposal for a cover design is required and is to be based on the Sample Chapter Collection. The delivery date for the cover design is to be included in the Production Plan. Does this mean a draft design based on the Sample is required as part of the solicitation process?

No. The purpose of the itemized lists on pages 5 and 6 is to describe the essential elements of the license agreement that will be drawn up by NIST and the selected licensee. The proposal for cover design is required after a licensee has been selected as a result of the solicitation process. Only the delivery date of the cover design proposal is required now. This date can be indicated, for example, as “xxx days after notification of selection by NIST”.