HermiteH [n,x]
gives the Hermite polynomial TemplateBox[{n, x}, HermiteH].
HermiteH
HermiteH [n,x]
gives the Hermite polynomial TemplateBox[{n, x}, HermiteH].
Details
- Mathematical function, suitable for both symbolic and numerical manipulation.
- Explicit polynomials are given for non‐negative integers n.
- The Hermite polynomials satisfy the differential equation .
- The Hermite polynomials are orthogonal polynomials with weight function in the interval .
- For certain special arguments, HermiteH automatically evaluates to exact values.
- HermiteH can be evaluated to arbitrary numerical precision.
- HermiteH automatically threads over lists.
- HermiteH [n,x] is an entire function of x with no branch cut discontinuities.
- HermiteH can be used with Interval and CenteredInterval objects. »
Examples
open all close allBasic Examples (5)
Compute the 10^(th) Hermite polynomial:
Plot over a subset of the reals:
Plot over a subset of the complexes:
Series expansion at the origin:
Series expansion at Infinity :
Scope (44)
Numerical Evaluation (6)
Evaluate numerically:
Evaluate to high precision:
The precision of the output tracks the precision of the input:
Complex number input:
Evaluate efficiently at high precision:
Compute worst-case guaranteed intervals using Interval and CenteredInterval objects:
Or compute average-case statistical intervals using Around :
Compute the elementwise values of an array:
Or compute the matrix HermiteH function using MatrixFunction :
Specific Values (6)
Visualization (3)
Plot the HermiteH polynomial for various orders:
Plot the real part of :
Plot the imaginary part of :
Plot the Hermite polynomial as a function of two variables:
Function Properties (14)
HermiteH is defined for all real and complex values:
Approximate function range of TemplateBox[{2, x}, HermiteH]:
Hermite polynomial of an even order is even:
Hermite polynomial of an odd order is odd:
HermiteH has the mirror property :
HermiteH threads elementwise over lists:
TemplateBox[{n, x}, HermiteH] is an analytic function of :
TemplateBox[{n, x}, HermiteH] is neither non-decreasing nor non-increasing for :
It is non-decreasing for :
It is non-increasing for :
TemplateBox[{n, x}, HermiteH] is not injective for for :
TemplateBox[{n, x}, HermiteH] is surjective for positive odd values of for :
TemplateBox[{n, x}, HermiteH] is positive for :
It has indefinite sign for :
HermiteH has no singularities or discontinuities:
TemplateBox[{n, x}, HermiteH] is convexfor and :
It is concave for :
TraditionalForm formatting:
Differentiation (3)
First derivative with respect to z:
Higher derivatives with respect to z:
Plot the higher derivatives with respect to z when n=3:
Formula for the ^(th) derivative with respect to z:
Integration (3)
Compute the indefinite integral using Integrate :
Verify the anti-derivative:
Definite integral:
More integrals:
Series Expansions (5)
Find the Taylor expansion using Series :
Plots of the first three approximations around :
General term in the series expansion using SeriesCoefficient :
Find the series expansion at Infinity :
Find series expansion for an arbitrary symbolic direction :
Taylor expansion at a generic point:
Generalizations & Extensions (2)
Applications (5)
Solve the Hermite differential equation:
Quantum harmonic oscillator wave functions:
Normalization:
Compute the expectation value of :
Momentum and position wave functions for a harmonic oscillator have the same form:
Solve a recursion relation:
Set up generalized Fourier series based on normalized Hermite functions:
Find series coefficients for :
Compare approximation and exact function:
Gibbs-like phenomenon for approximation of discontinuous function:
Find an integral for symbolic :
Evaluation for non-negative integer values of n requires Limit :
Compare with integration for explicit :
Properties & Relations (3)
Get the list of coefficients in a Hermite polynomial:
HermiteH can be represented as a DifferentialRoot :
The exponential generating function for HermiteH :
Possible Issues (2)
Cancellations in the polynomial form may lead to inaccurate numerical results:
Evaluate the function directly:
Plot the 100^(th) Hermite polynomial:
Machine-precision evaluation of explicit polynomials may be numerically unstable due to cancellations:
Neat Examples (4)
Distribution of the zeros of the first 20 Hermite polynomials:
Interpolation between Hermite polynomials:
Comparison of quantum and classical probability distributions for a harmonic oscillator:
Generalized Lissajous figures:
See Also
Tech Notes
Related Guides
Related Links
History
Introduced in 1988 (1.0) | Updated in 2021 (13.0) ▪ 2022 (13.1)
Text
Wolfram Research (1988), HermiteH, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/HermiteH.html (updated 2022).
CMS
Wolfram Language. 1988. "HermiteH." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2022. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/HermiteH.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (1988). HermiteH. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/HermiteH.html
BibTeX
@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_hermiteh, author="Wolfram Research", title="{HermiteH}", year="2022", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/HermiteH.html}", note=[Accessed: 16-November-2025]}
BibLaTeX
@online{reference.wolfram_2025_hermiteh, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={HermiteH}, year={2022}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/HermiteH.html}, note=[Accessed: 16-November-2025]}