Let λ be a random variable with the distribution function F(λ). A transform of F which has, in effect, been used in several recent papers ([1], [2], [3], [4]; see also [6]) is

defined formally by the equation

It is the main purpose of this paper to prove the inversion formulae given in the two theorems below.

If p is a prime other than 2, half of the numbers

1, 2, … p—1

are quadratic residues (mod p) and the other half are quadratic non-residues. Various questions have been proposed concerning the distribution of the quadratic residues and non-residues for large p, but as yet only very incomplete answers to these questions are known. Many of the known results are deductions from the inequality

found independently by Pólya and Vinogradov, the symbol being Legendre's symbol of quadratic character.

Let S be an ordered set, i.e. a set with a transitive irreflexive binary relation “<” such that, for any a, bεS, either a = b or a < b or b < a. By an order automorphism of S we mean a one-one mapping α of S onto itself such that

This paper deals with problems of transverse displacements of thin anisotropie plates with the most general type of digonal symmetry [1]. Proofs of uniqueness of solution under certain conditions are given for problems of plates occupying both finite and infinite regions. This is a generalization to anisotropy of the uniqueness theorems given by Tiff en [2] for isotropic plates.

The problem considered here is the determination of the stresses and displacements in a semi-infinite elastic plate which contains a thin notch perpendicular to its edge, and is in a state of plane strain or generalized plane stress under the action of given loads. The axes of x and y are taken along the infinite edge and along the notch, and the scale is chosen so that the depth of the notch is unity (Fig. 1).

Let K be a bounded n-dimensional convex body, with its centroid at the origin o. Let ϑ denote the density of the most economical lattice covering of the whole of space by K (i.e. the lower bound of the asymptotic densities of the coverings of the whole space by a system of bodies congruent and similarly situated to K, their centroids forming the points of a lattice); and let ϑ* denote the density of the most economical covering of the whole space by K (i.e. the lower bound of the asymptotic lower densities of the coverings of the whole space by a system of bodies congruent and similarly situated to K).

Let Q be a local ring and let q be an m-primary ideal of Q, where m is the maximal ideal of Q. With q we may associate a ring F(Q, q), termed the form ring of Q relative to the ideal q. If u1, …, um is a basis of q, and if B denotes the quotient ring Q/q, there is a homomorphism of the ring B[X1, …, Xm] of polynomials over B in indeterminates X1 …, Xm onto F(Q, q). The kernel of this homomorphism is a homogeneous ideal of B[X1 …, Xm]. Finally, if a is an ideal of Q there is a homomorphism of F(Q, q) onto F(Q/a, q+a/a). The kernel of this latter homomorphism will be termed the form ideal relative to q of a and denoted by ā.

Let ƒ = ƒ(x1, …, xk) be a quadratic form in k variables, which has integral coefficients and is not degenerate. Let n ≠ 0 be any integer representable by ƒ, that is, such that the equation

is soluble in integers x1, …, xk. We shall call a solution of (1) a bounded representation of n by ƒ if it satisfies

It is well known that the thinnest covering of the plane by equal circles (of radius 1, say) occurs when the centres of the circles are at the points of an equilateral lattice, i.e. a lattice whose fundamental cell consists of two equilateral triangles. The density of thinnest covering is

Our main object in this note is to establish (Theorem 1) a necessary and sufficient condition to be satisfied by a sequence {εn} so that a series Σ an εnmay be summable | A |whenever the series Σanis summable (C, — 1). We suppose that an and εn are complex numbers. The condition is unchanged if the an are restricted to be real, but our proof is adapted to the case where they may be complex. Theorem 1 has been quoted by Bosanquet and Chow [12] in order to fill a gap in the theory of summability factors. We also obtain some related results, which are discussed in the Appendix.

An expression is found here for the small transverse displacement of a thin elliptic plate due to a force applied at an arbitrary point of the plate. The plate is in the form of a complete ellipse and is clamped along the boundary. The displacement is expressed in terms of infinite series in §§2–4. The convergence of the series is rapid unless the eccentricity of the ellipse is nearly unity. The simplest case in which the force is applied at the centre of the plate is considered in §5; the displacement of the centre due to this force is compared in §6 with the corresponding displacements of a circular plate and of an infinite strip.

Although there is an extensive literature dealing with the location of characteristic roots of matrices, the problem of estimating the maximum distance between two characteristic roots of a given matrix does not appear to have attracted much attention. In the present note we shall be concerned with this problem.

Subdivision of the fundamental equation of elasticity into two wave equations appears in most text-books on elasticity theory but the two types of vibration are rarely considered independently. Prescott [1] discussed the possibility of the separate existence of plane dilational and distortional waves in semi-infinite material and, failing to satisfy the conditions at a stress-free boundary, concluded that the two types of motion could not exist independently in such circumstances. He therefore derived solutions using combinations of the two types of vibrations. In this paper it is shown that Prescott's solutions are not unique and that special types of purely dilational and purely distortional vibrations are possible in the presence of a free plane boundary. The problem first investigated by Lamb [2] and later by Cooper [3] of transient vibrations of an infinite plate is then considered. In view of the complexity of the equations involved it is worth while attempting to use the subdivision of the fundamental equation to split the problem into simpler problems. In this connection the possibility of dilational or distortional vibrations alone is investigated and a stable form of distortional waves is discovered. It is seen, however, that subdivision of the general problem is not possible.

Marshall Hall has proved that every real number is representable as the sum of two continued fractions with partial quotients at most 4. This implies that for any real β1, β2 there exists a real α such that

for all integers x > 0 and y, where C is a positive constant. In this note I prove a generalization to r numbers β2, …, βr. The case r = 2 implies a result similar to Marshall Hall's but with a larger number (71) in place of 4.

Let (x1, y1), …, (xN, yN) be N points in the square 0 ≤ x < 1, 0 ≤ y < 1. For any point (ξ, η) in this square, let S(ξ, η) denote the number of points of the set satisfying

A complex-valued function ƒ is said by W. Maak [1] to be almost periodic (a.p.) on Rn if for every positive number ε there is a decomposition of Rn into a finite number of sets S such that

for all h in Rn and all pairs x, y belonging to the same S. This definition is equivalent to that of Bohr when ƒ is continuous.

It has long been conjectured that any indefinite quadratic form, with real coefficients, in 5 or more variables assumes values arbitrarily near to 0 for suitable integral values of the variables, not all 0. The basis for this conjecture is the fact, proved by Meyer in 1883, that any such form with rational coefficients actually represents 0.

In the following pages there will be found an account of the properties of a certain class of local rings which are here termed semi-regular local rings. As this name will suggest, these rings share many properties in common with the more familiar regular local rings, but they form a larger class and the characteristic properties are preserved under a greater variety of transformations. The first occasion on which these rings were studied by the author was in connection with a problem concerning the irreducibility of certain ideals, but about the same time they were investigated in much greater detail by Rees [7] and in quite a different connection. In his discussion, Rees made considerable use of the ideas and techniques of homological algebra. Here a number of the same results, as well as some additional ones, are established by quite different methods. The essential tools used on this occasion are the results obtained by Lech [3] in his important researches concerning the associativity formula for multiplicities. Before describing these, we shall first introduce some notation which will be used consistently throughout the rest of the paper.