Delving Deeper: The Chebyshev Polynomials: Patterns and Derivation

Pafnuty Lvovich Chebyshev, a Russian mathematician, is famous for his work in the area of number theory and for his work on a sequence of polynomials that now bears his name. These Chebyshev polynomials have applications in the fields of polynomial approximation, numerical analysis, graph theory, Fourier series, and many other areas. They can be derived directly from the multiple-angle formulas for sine and cosine. They are relevant in high school and in the broader mathematical community. For this reason, the Chebyshev polynomials were chosen as one of the topics for study at the 2003 High School Teachers Program at the Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI). The following is a derivation of the Chebyshev polynomials and a mathematical exploration of the patterns that they produce.