we may write in general
the summation being for every partition
of
and
being
Ex. gr. To operate with
upon
we have
and hence
Application to Symmetric Function Multiplication.—An example will explain this. Suppose we wish to find the coefficient of
in the product
.
Write
then
every other term disappearing by the fundamental property of
Since
we have:—
where ultimately disappearing terms have been struck out. Finally
The operator
which is satisfied by every symmetric fraction whose partition contains no unit (called by Cayley non-unitary symmetric functions), is of particular importance in algebraic theories. This arises from the circumstance that the general operator
is transformed into the operator
by the substitution
so that the theory of the general operator is coincident with that of the particular operator
For example, the theory of invariants may be regarded as depending upon the consideration of the symmetric functions of the differences of the roots of the equation
and such functions satisfy the differential equation
For such functions remain unaltered when each root receives the same infinitesimal increment
but writing
for
causes
to become respectively
and
becomes
and hence the functions satisfy the differential equation. The important result is that the theory of invariants is from a certain point of view coincident with the theory of non-unitary symmetric functions of the roots of
are symmetric functions of differences of the roots of
and on the other hand that symmetric functions of the differences of the roots of
are non-unitary symmetric functions of the roots of
An important notion in the theory of linear operators in general is that of MacMahon’s multilinear operator (“Theory of a Multilinear partial Differential Operator with Applications to the Theories of Invariants and Reciprocants,” Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. t. xviii. (1886), pp. 61-88). It is defined as having four elements, and is written
the coefficient of
being
The operators
are seen to be
and
respectively. Also the operator of the Theory of Pure Reciprocents (see Sylvester Lectures of the New Theory of Reciprocants, Oxford, 1888) is
It will be noticed that
The importance of the operator consists in the fact that taking any two operators of the system
the operator equivalent to
where
and we conclude that quâ “alternation” the operators of the system form a “group.” It is thus possible to study simultaneously all the theories which depend upon operations of the group.
Symbolic Representation of Symmetric Functions.—Denote the elementary symmetric function
by
at pleasure; then, taking
equal to
we may write
where
Further, let
so that
and, by multiplication,
Denote by brackets
and
symmetric functions of the quantities
and
respectively. Then
Expanding the right-hand side by the exponential theorem, and then expressing the symmetric functions of
which arise, in terms of
we obtain by comparison with the middle series the symbolical representation of all symmetric functions in brackets
appertaining to the quantities
To obtain particular theorems the quantities
are auxiliaries which are at our entire disposal. Thus to obtain Stroh’s theory of seminvariants put
we then obtain the expression of non-unitary symmetric functions of the quantities
as functions of differences of the symbols
Ex. gr.
with
must be a term in
and since
we must have
as is well known.
Again, if
be the
roots of
and
leading to
and