In mathematics, the beta function, also called the of the first kind, is a special function defined by
for Re x, Re y > 0.
The beta function was studied by Euler and Legendre and was given its name by Jacques Binet; its symbol Β is a Greek capital beta rather than the similar Latin capital B.
The beta function is symmetric, meaning that
A key property of the Beta function is its relationship to the Gamma function; proof is given below in the section on relationship between gamma function and beta function
When x and y are positive integers, it follows from the definition of the gamma function Γ that:
The Beta function satisfies several interesting identities, including
where t ↦ tx
+ is a truncated power function and the star denotes convolution.
The lowermost identity above shows in particular Γ(1 / 2) = √π. Some of these identities, e.g. the trigonometric formula, can be applied to deriving the volume of an n-ball in Cartesian coordinates.