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NIST's New Science and Engineering Research Tool DLMF

Mathematics is the universal language of science and engineering but has yet to develop a universally-accepted method of presentation on the World Wide Web. Back in the paper age, in 1964, NIST published a reference work, The Handbook of Mathematical Functions, edited by Milton Abramowitz and Irene Stegun, which made great advances in standardization of mathematical expression and increased the ease of use of mathematical functions. About a million paper copies of that book were sold. It is among the most-cited publications in the scientific literature. To incorporate additional mathematical knowledge acquired during the subsequent 50 years and present it in a form consistent with the needs of modern internet communication, NIST has constructed the Digital Library of Mathematical Functions (DLMF). We present some examples of how DLMF may be used to simplify the mathematical solution and communication of problems encountered in science and engineering.

Graphics provided by the speakers.


Anyone outside NIST wishing to attend must be sponsored by a NIST employee and receive a visitor badge.

For more information, contact Kum Ham at 301-975-4203.

Colloquia are videotaped and available in the NIST Research Library.

Charles Clark, NIST Fellow, Atomic Physics Division/Dan Lozier, NIST Applied and Computational Mathematics Division/DLMF Editorial Board Members

Created May 4, 2011, Updated January 5, 2017