Identities for the gamma and hypergeometric functions: an overview from Euler to the present

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2013Equations involving the gamma and hypergeometric functions are of great interest to mathematicians and scientists, and newly proven identities for these functions assist in finding solutions to differential and integral equations. In this work we trace a brief history of the development of the gamma and hypergeometric functions, illustrate the close relationship between them and present a range of their most useful properties and identities, from the earliest ones to those developed in more recent years. Our literature review will show that while continued research into hypergeometric identities has generated many new results, some of these can be shown to be variations of known identities. Hence, we will also discuss computer based methods that have been developed for creating and analysing such identities, in order to check for originality and for numerical validity