Elliptic Integral - Argument Notation

Argument Notation

Incomplete elliptic integrals are functions of two arguments; complete elliptic integrals are functions of a single argument. These arguments are expressed in a variety of different but equivalent ways (they give the same elliptic integral). Most texts adhere to a canonical naming scheme, using the following naming conventions.

For expressing one argument:

• α, the modular angle;
• k = sin α, the elliptic modulus or eccentricity;
• m = k2 = sin2α, the parameter.

Each of the above three quantities is completely determined by any of the others (given that they are non-negative). Thus, they can be used interchangeably.

The other argument can likewise be expressed as φ, the amplitude, or as x or u, where x = sin φ = sn u and sn is one of the Jacobian elliptic functions.

Specifying the value of any one of these quantities determines the others. Note that u also depends on m. Some additional relationships involving u include

The latter is sometimes called the delta amplitude and written as Δ(φ) = dn u. Sometimes the literature also refers to the complementary parameter, the complementary modulus, or the complementary modular angle. These are further defined in the article on quarter periods.