alkahest
Mathematics

Calculus

Alkahest supports symbolic differentiation and integration with full derivation logging.

Differentiation

diff(expr, var) computes the symbolic derivative of expr with respect to var.

Python
import alkahest as ak
from alkahest import ExprPool, diff, sin, cos, exp, log, sqrt

pool = ExprPool()
x = pool.symbol("x")

# Polynomial
dr = diff(x**3 + pool.integer(2) * x, x)
print(dr.value)   # 3*x^2 + 2

# Chain rule
dr = diff(sin(x**2), x)
print(dr.value)   # 2*x*cos(x^2)

# Product rule
dr = diff(x * exp(x), x)
print(dr.value)   # exp(x) + x*exp(x)

# Logarithm
dr = diff(log(x**2 + pool.integer(1)), x)
print(dr.value)   # 2*x / (x^2 + 1)

Registered primitives

Every primitive in the registry has a differentiation rule. The 23 currently registered primitives include:

sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan, atan2, sinh, cosh, tanh, exp, log, sqrt, abs, sign, erf, erfc, gamma, floor, ceil, round, min, max

Non-smooth functions

abs, sign, floor, ceil, round, min and max are not differentiable everywhere. diff, diff_forward and symbolic_grad return the almost-everywhere derivative and state where it holds, as side conditions on the derivation (result.side_conditions, also on each step in result.steps):

expression derivative holds where
abs(g) sign(g)·g' g ≠ 0
sign(g) 0 g ≠ 0
floor(g), ceil(g) 0 g − floor(g) ≠ 0 (g not an integer)
round(g) 0 g + 1/2 − floor(g + 1/2) ≠ 0
min(a, b) Piecewise((a < b, a'), (a > b, b'); (a'+b')/2) a − b ≠ 0
max(a, b) Piecewise((a > b, a'), (a < b, b'); (a'+b')/2) a − b ≠ 0

At a kink the value is the midpoint of the one-sided slopes, so the result is never an unstated zero. heaviside keeps its distributional derivative, diracdelta. rewrite_piecewise lowers abs/sign/min/max to Piecewise, and integrate splits Piecewise integrands at the exact roots of their conditions (rational or quadratic-surd breakpoints; a condition that is non-polynomial, parametric or has an irreducible factor of degree ≥ 3 is refused with E-INT-001) and returns an antiderivative that is continuous at every breakpoint.

Derivation log

The DerivedResult returned by diff records every rule application:

Python
dr = diff(sin(x**2), x)
for step in dr.steps:
    print(f"  {step['rule']:25s}  {step['before']}  →  {step['after']}")

Undefined functions and Euler–Lagrange

A function name the kernel attaches no meaning to is an undefined (arbitrary smooth) function. diff returns a canonical derivative node for it, with the chain rule applied per argument slot:

Python
t = pool.symbol("t")
q = pool.func("q", [t])
ak.diff(q, t).value                          # Derivative(q(t), t)
ak.diff(pool.func("f", [t**2]), t).value     # 2*t*Subs(Derivative(f(_xi_1), _xi_1), _xi_1, t^2)
ak.subs(ak.diff(q, t).value, {q: ak.sin(t)}) # cos(t)

euler_lagrange(L, [q1, q2], t) returns the equations of motion d/dt(∂L/∂q̇) − ∂L/∂q, and functions_to_symbols(eoms, [q1, q2], t) turns q, q̇, q̈ into plain symbols (q1, q1_dot, q1_ddot) for solve. replace_function(expr, f(x), body) substitutes a definition for f at every argument, derivatives included. The printed form reads back with parse(text, pool, {"q": q, "t": t}); numeric evaluation refuses an undefined function with E-EVAL-005.

Calculus with undefined functions

integrate reverses the chain rule for undefined functions and their derivative nodes, and refuses everything that is not an exact derivative (an undefined function has no antiderivative of its own):

Python
f = pool.func("f", [t]); fp = ak.diff(f, t).value
ak.integrate(fp, t).value                  # f(t)
ak.integrate(f * fp, t).value              # f(t)^2 / 2
ak.integrate(fp / f, t).value              # log(f(t))
ak.integrate(t * ak.diff(fp, t).value, t).value   # t*f'(t) - f(t)
try:
    ak.integrate(f, t)
except ak.IntegrationError as e:
    print(e.code)                          # E-INT-001: no closed form

Each candidate is differentiated back and compared with the integrand before it is returned; definite integrals are F(b) - F(a) (infinite bounds are refused). series(f, t, a, n) expands in f(a), f'(a), ... . limit treats f(t) as opaque: it is refused (E-LIMIT-007) unless every undefined node is declared continuous at the point, limit(f*cos(t), t, 2, continuous=[f]), and then only an expression that is jointly continuous there is evaluated by substitution (a (f(t) - f(a))/(t - a) quotient needs differentiability, which is never assumed).

experimental.dsolve_system(equations, functions=[y(t), ...], t=t) and ODE.from_equations(equations, functions, t) accept linear systems written in y(t) and diff(y(t), t) of any order, reduce them to first order, and return the closed form also as result["functions"] == {y(t): ...}.

Forward-mode automatic differentiation

diff_forward computes the derivative using forward-mode AD (dual numbers). It produces the same result as diff but through a different computational path:

Python
from alkahest import diff, diff_forward

sym = diff(x**3, x)
fwd = diff_forward(x**3, x)
# fwd.value == sym.value

Forward mode is useful for checking that the symbolic rules agree with dual-number evaluation.

Symbolic gradient (symbolic_grad)

symbolic_grad(expr, vars) returns a list of Expr — one partial derivative per variable. It does not use @trace and is not composable with jit directly.

API Input Output
diff(expr, var) one variable DerivedResult with .steps
symbolic_grad(expr, vars) many variables list[Expr]
grad(traced_fn) TracedFn from @trace GradTracedFn (numeric; see Transformations)
Python
from alkahest import symbolic_grad

y = pool.symbol("y")

expr = x**2 * y + sin(x * y)
grads = symbolic_grad(expr, [x, y])
# grads[0] = ∂/∂x = 2*x*y + y*cos(x*y)
# grads[1] = ∂/∂y = x^2 + x*cos(x*y)

For the JAX-style gradient of a traced Python function (compose with jit), use alkahest.grad — not symbolic_grad. See Transformations.

Integration

integrate(expr, var) computes the symbolic antiderivative of expr with respect to var.

Python
from alkahest import integrate, sin, cos, exp

# Polynomials
r = integrate(x**3, x)
print(r.value)    # x^4/4

# Known functions
r = integrate(sin(x), x)
print(r.value)    # -cos(x)

r = integrate(exp(x), x)
print(r.value)    # exp(x)

r = integrate(x**pool.integer(-1), x)
print(r.value)    # log(x)

Integration rules

The integration engine applies a rule table for common forms, then escalates to the Risch decision procedure for harder cases:

Rule table (fast path)

  • Power rule: ∫ xⁿ dx = xⁿ⁺¹/(n+1) for integer n ≠ -1
  • Logarithm: ∫ 1/x dx = log(x)
  • Exponential tower: ∫ exp(a*x + b) dx, ∫ xⁿ·exp(x) dx (poly × exp)
  • Linear substitution: ∫ f(a*x + b) dx
  • Trigonometric: ∫ sin(x) dx, ∫ cos(x) dx, etc.
  • Standard table entries for erf, inverse trig, etc.

Risch algorithm (escalation)

  • Rational functions A(x)/D(x): Hermite reduction (repeated factors → rational part), then Rothstein–Trager (rational residues → log), irreducible quadratics (negative discriminant → arctan; positive discriminant → log with √Δ coefficients), and irreducible factors of degree ≥ 3 via a RootSum node (Lazard–Rioboo–Trager over the number field ℚ[t]/Q(t)).
  • Exp tower with rational coefficient: ∫ f(x)·exp(η) dx where f ∈ ℚ(x) — solved via the rational Risch DE (Bronstein §6.1).
  • Polynomial × exp / log towers: poly-RDE and known-table rules.
Python
# Rational functions
r = integrate(pool.integer(1) / (x**2 - pool.integer(1)), x)  # → ½·log(x-1) − ½·log(x+1)

r = integrate(pool.integer(1) / (x**2 + pool.integer(1)), x)  # → arctan(x)

# Rational coefficient × exp
r = integrate((x - pool.integer(1)) / x**2 * exp(x), x)       # → exp(x)/x

# Degree-≥3 denominator → RootSum
r = integrate(pool.integer(1) / (x**3 - pool.integer(3)*x + pool.integer(1)), x)
# r.value contains a RootSum node (sum over algebraic residues)

A RootSum answer is verified before it is returned, like every other answer integrate gives: it is differentiated and compared numerically to the integrand, with the RootSum evaluated by finding its minimal polynomial's roots and summing the body over them in complex arithmetic. The sum is ill-conditioned in the roots — a perfect double-precision root set misses the comparison tolerance from degree ≈ 15 — so from degree 8 up the roots are Newton-refined to 256 bits on the exact minimal polynomial and the body is summed in that precision. Above degree 24 integrate declines with E-INT-001 rather than return an answer it cannot check. Such an answer is not claimed to be non-elementary: every rational function is elementary, and E-INT-004 is never raised here.

The log argument of each RootSum is the Lazard–Rioboo–Trager one, gcd_x(D, A − α·D′), read off the subresultant chain of D and A − t·D′ over ℚ[t] (computed once) and reduced modulo the residue's minimal polynomial. Each such argument is checked by dividing D and A − α·D′ by it in ℚ(α)[x] — a divisor of the right degree is the gcd — and the Euclidean gcd over the number field is used only if that check fails. On ∫ (x⁷+3x²−1)/(x¹⁵+x⁴+2x+1)² dx this takes the log part from minutes to about a second.

Non-elementary certification: when the integrand is provably non-elementary (Liouville's theorem — e.g. exp(x²), exp(exp(x)), exp(x)/(x²+1)), integrate raises IntegrationError with code E-INT-004 (NonElementary) rather than a generic "not implemented". (Integrands with a named special-function antiderivative get it instead: sin(x)/x → Si(x), exp(x)/x → Ei(x), 1/log(x) → li(x).)

Python
from alkahest import IntegrationError

try:
    integrate(exp(x**2), x)
except IntegrationError as e:
    print(e.code)         # E-INT-004
    print(e.remediation)  # "this integrand has no closed-form antiderivative in terms of elementary functions; ..."

For integrands outside the supported classes (e.g. sqrt(P(x)), mixed algebraic+transcendental), integrate raises IntegrationError with code E-INT-001 (NotImplemented).

Symbolic parameters and unnormalised integrands

When every route declines an integrand as written, integrate normalises it and tries again termwise: integer powers of sums are expanded, products of exponentials are merged into one (e^{−aτ}·e^{−b(t−τ)} → e^{(b−a)τ − bt}), and powers of a common base are combined (x·x^{n−1} → xⁿ, τ·(aτ)⁻¹ → 1/a). The terms then take closed forms that accept symbolic parameters:

Python
k, m, a, b = (pool.symbol(s) for s in "kmab")
integrate(x * exp(-k * x), x).value        # e^{−kx}·(−x/k − 1/k²), k ≠ 0
integrate(1 / (k**2 + m**2), k).value      # atan(k/m)/m
integrate(1 / (a * x**2 + b), x).value     # atan(a·x/√(ab))/√(ab), stated: ab > 0
integrate(x**2 * exp(2*x) * sin(x), x)     # tabular (repeated by-parts) formula

Every division by a parameter is recorded in result.verification["side_conditions"] unless its sign is known; the arctangent of a quadratic whose discriminant 4ac − b² has unknown sign carries 4ac − b² > 0, a provably negative discriminant gives logarithms instead. The answer is checked against the original integrand before it is returned.

integrate(f, x, 0, oo) of a finite sum of c·x^p·e^{−αx} uses the Gamma integral Γ(p+1)/α^{p+1} termwise, when α > 0 and p > −1 are established (numerically or from symbol domains / assumptions):

Python
y = pool.symbol("y")
integrate(exp(-y / 2) / sqrt(y), y, pool.integer(0), pool.pos_infinity()).value
# → √2·√π   (the chi-square normaliser)
P = ak.Domain.Positive
t, ke, ka = (pool.symbol(s, P) for s in ("t", "ke", "ka"))
integrate(exp(-ke*t) - exp(-ka*t), t, pool.integer(0), pool.pos_infinity()).value
# → 1/ke − 1/ka   (Bateman AUC)

With the sign of α unknown it declines (E-INT-001, naming the parameter). At other infinite bounds, the limit of an antiderivative that is a sum is taken term by term when every term's limit exists and is finite.

Beta, incomplete-gamma and Feynman-parameter integrals

Definite integrals whose antiderivative is not elementary — or not elementary with a symbolic exponent — but whose value is a classical function:

integrand, interval value
(x−a)^p (b−x)^q on [a, b] (b−a)^{p+q+1} Γ(p+1)Γ(q+1)/Γ(p+q+2)
x^p/(c+dx)^r on [0, ∞), c, d > 0 c^{p+1−r} d^{−p−1} B(p+1, r−p−1)
sin^p x cos^q x on [0, π/2] ½ B((p+1)/2, (q+1)/2)
x^p e^{−r x^k} on [lo, hi] ⊂ [0, ∞], k = 1, 2, r > 0 r^{−s}/k · (Γ(s, r·loᵏ) − Γ(s, r·hiᵏ)), s = (p+1)/k
log Q, Q^{−n} for quadratic Q, Q > 0 at the ends atan / log closed forms by the sign of κ = (4AC−B²)/(4A²)
Python
x, a, b = pool.symbol("x"), pool.symbol("a"), pool.symbol("b")
r = integrate(x**a * (1 - x)**b, x, pool.integer(0), pool.integer(1))
r.value                               # gamma(1 + a)*gamma(1 + b)/gamma(2 + a + b)
r.verification["side_conditions"]     # ['(1 + a) > 0', '(1 + b) > 0']
s, c = pool.symbol("s"), pool.symbol("c", ak.Domain.Positive)
integrate(x**(s - 1) * exp(-x), x, c, pool.pos_infinity()).value   # uppergamma(s, c)
m, p = pool.symbol("m", ak.Domain.Positive), pool.symbol("p", ak.Domain.Positive)
integrate(log(m**2 - x*(1 - x)*p**2), x, pool.integer(0), pool.integer(1)).value
# Piecewise((κ > 0, 2 log m − 2 + 4√κ·atan(1/(2√κ))), (κ = 0, 2 log m − 2);
#           default = 2 log m − 2 + 2√λ·log((½+√λ)/(½−√λ)) + 2πi√λ),  κ = m²/p² − ¼ = −λ

Signs the formula needs (a rate r > 0, a linear factor's slope, Q > 0 at the endpoints) must be established, or the route declines; a leading coefficient of unknown sign is allowed when it is c·sᵏ for one parameter s (the report's log(m² − x(1−x)·p2) with p2 of either sign), and the Piecewise then also branches on its sign, with Q|_{s=0} at s = 0. A convergence condition on an exponent (a + 1 > 0) is stated as a side condition when unknown, and refused as divergent when established false; ∫₀¹ dx/(m² − x(1−x)p²)ⁿ states κ > 0 (p² < 4m²), since above threshold Q vanishes inside the interval. Above threshold ∫ log Q is the principal-branch value (log|Q| + iπ where Q < 0); the Feynman −i0 prescription gives its complex conjugate. The quadratic forms are cross-checked against Gauss–Legendre quadrature at sampled parameter values before they are returned. Definite results also have their exponents re-collected for display, so the convolution ∫₀ᵗ e^{−aτ}e^{−b(t−τ)} dτ reads (e^{−at} − e^{−bt})/(b − a).

Improper integrals over the whole real line

integrate(f, x, -oo, oo) for a rational f does not go through the fundamental theorem — the antiderivative is a RootSum or a sum of logs and arctangents whose limits at ±∞ the limit engine cannot establish. It takes the residue theorem instead:

Python
neg_inf = pool.integer(-1) * pool.pos_infinity()
integrate(1 / (x**4 + pool.integer(1)), x, neg_inf, pool.pos_infinity()).value
# → π·2^(-1/2)
integrate(1 / (x**6 + pool.integer(1)), x, neg_inf, pool.pos_infinity()).value
# → 2π/3

Both convergence conditions are checked exactly — deg Q ≥ deg P + 2 on the reduced fraction, and Q with no real root — and a failure of either is reported as divergent (E-INT-001), never given a finite value. That includes cases with a Cauchy principal value: ∫ x dx/(x²+1) has PV 0, and returning 0 would be wrong.

Every value is cross-checked against a rigorous enclosure of the same integral (validated::bounds::verified_integral on [-1, 1] plus each tail mapped to [0, 1] by x = ±1/t) before it is returned; a disagreement is treated as a bug and declined. The route covers denominators whose Hurwitz spectral factor is rational and, in radicals, every denominator of degree ≤ 4 after even-normalisation. Outside that it declines explicitly — 1/(x⁸+1) is the smallest such case.

Definite elliptic integrals with rational branch points

integrate(R(x)/sqrt(P(x)), x, a, b) with P a cubic or quartic whose roots are all rational (the radicand may be written factored or expanded), R a rational function whose poles are rational and off [a, b], and [a, b] — rational bounds or ±oo — inside one interval where P > 0, is evaluated exactly:

Python
integrate(1/sqrt(x*(1 - x)*(2 - x)), x, 0, 1).value   # √2·EllipticK(1/2)
integrate(x/sqrt(x*(1 - x)*(2 - x)), x, 0, 1).value   # √2·(2K(1/2) − 2E(1/2))
integrate(1/sqrt((x-1)*(x-2)*(x-3)*(x-4)), x, 2, 3).value   # EllipticK(3/4)

The roots (with ∞ for a cubic) are four points of the projective line; the cross-ratio Möbius map sending the ends of the interval's arc to 0 and 1 gives sin²φ = h(x), a rational parameter m, and a constant c with c² ∈ ℚ. The φ-integral is then solved by an exact ansatz α·F + β·E + Σ γᵢ·Π(nᵢ) + sinφ·cosφ·Δ·T(sin²φ) over ℚ (a linear system), and the endpoints give EllipticF/E(asin(√y), m) with y rational, or the complete EllipticK/E(m) and EllipticPi(n, π/2, m) at a root of P. Nothing is lifted from a float, and every finite-interval value is cross-checked against a tanh–sinh quadrature whose polynomials are Taylor-shifted to the nearer endpoint. A divergent end, a pole on [a, b], a Π whose path would cross its own pole, or a radicand that does not split over ℚ declines to the other routes (whose float-derived elliptic antiderivatives the definite path refuses).

Catalan's constant and other classical values

Some textbook definite integrals have non-elementary antiderivatives — ∫ atan(x)/x dx is the inverse tangent integral Ti₂(x) — so the fundamental-theorem route cannot reach them. A table of classical evaluations does, up to a constant factor, a reversed interval, or as one term of a sum:

Python
import alkahest as ak

pool = ak.ExprPool()
x = pool.symbol("x")
zero, one = pool.integer(0), pool.integer(1)
ak.integrate(ak.atan(x) / x, x, zero, one).value                  # Catalan
ak.integrate(ak.log(x) / (1 + x**2), x, zero, one).value          # -Catalan
ak.integrate(ak.log(1 + x) / (1 + x**2), x, zero, one).value      # pi*log(2)/8

The entries: ∫₀¹ atan(x)/x = G, ∫₀¹ log(x)/(1+x²) = −G (and G on [1, ∞), 0 on [0, ∞)), ∫₀^∞ atan(x)/(x(1+x²)) = (π/2) log 2, ∫₀¹ log(1+x²)/(1+x²) = (π/2) log 2 − G (π log 2 on [0, ∞)), Serret's (π/8) log 2 in its three forms, ∫₀^{π/4} log tan x = −G, ∫₀^{π/2} x/sin x = 2G, ∫₀^∞ x/cosh x = 2G, the log-sine and log-cosine integrals on [0, π/2] and [0, π/4], and ∫₀¹ atan(x)/(x√(1−x²)) = (π/2) log(1+√2). Each is checked against mpmath to 30 digits in the test suite. Any other interval is still refused.

Continuity across substitution poles

A rational function of sin x and cos x is integrated by t = tan(x/2), or — when it is invariant under x ↦ x + π, like 1/(1 + sin²x) — by t = tan x. Either substitution produces an antiderivative between consecutive poles of the tangent only; written naively, its atan terms jump by ±π there although the integrand is regular. Alkahest returns antiderivatives that are valid on every interval where the integrand is continuous:

Python
F = integrate(1 / (1 + sin(x)**2), x).value
# (x + atan(...))/√2 — no jump at π/2 + kπ

atan(a·tan θ + b) terms are rewritten into continuous θ + atan2(N, D) forms, rational terms in tan θ are homogenised into sin θ/cos θ, and any jump that remains on the pole lattice is computed exactly by one-sided limits and cancelled by J·x/T − (J/2π)·atan2(sin φ, cos φ) (log step int_continuous_step_correction).

A definite integral whose antiderivative still jumps inside the interval — at a pole of the substitution, or where the denominator of an atan(N/D) vanishes — is evaluated as F(b) − F(a) − Σ jumps. Each branch crossing contributes exactly ±π times its coefficient, so only the number and direction of crossings is located numerically; the corrected value is re-scanned for any remaining jump and cross-checked against tanh–sinh quadrature before it is returned, and refused (E-INT-001) otherwise. ∫ cot(x)^(p/q) is integrated through the reflection cot u = tan(π/2 − u), so integrate(cot(x)**(3/2), x, 1/5, 1) is 2.17202966873….

Verification

A common pattern is to verify an antiderivative by differentiating it back:

Python
from alkahest import simplify

expr = x * cos(x)
antideriv = integrate(expr, x).value
check = simplify(diff(antideriv, x).value)
# check.value should equal expr

Higher derivatives

Chain calls to diff:

Python
d2 = diff(diff(sin(x), x).value, x)
print(d2.value)   # -sin(x)

The derivation log of the outer diff does not include the inner steps. If you need the full trace, concatenate dr1.steps + dr2.steps.

Series and Puiseux expansion

series(expr, var, point, order) gives a truncated Taylor or Laurent expansion — integer powers of h = var - point, with an explicit O(h^order) remainder:

Python
from alkahest import ExprPool, series, sin

pool = ExprPool()
x = pool.symbol("x")

print(series(sin(x), x, pool.integer(0), 6).expr)
# (x * 1) + (-1/6 * x^3) + (1/120 * x^5) + O(x^6)

When every coefficient is a rational number — compositions of + − × ÷, rational powers, exp, log, sin, cos, tan, their hyperbolic forms, atan, asin, atanh, asinh and sqrt, at a point where none of them has an irrational value — the expansion is computed with truncated power-series arithmetic over ℚ, so series(sin(tan(x)) - tan(sin(x)), x, 0, 15) takes a fraction of a millisecond. Anything else (a free parameter, sin(1 + h), a branch point) is expanded from repeated derivatives, as before.

Some expansions have fractional exponents and there is no Series that can hold one: √x has valuation 1/2. series refuses those with E-SERIES-004 rather than returning a series whose coefficients are sqrt(0)^-1 — Ok, unevaluable, NaN on contact. The refusal says what is going on: for series(sqrt(x), x, 0, 3), sqrt(x)*exp(x) or x**(1/3)*sin(x) the message reads "not a power series at the expansion point: it is a branch point …", names puiseux_series, and ends with the verified Puiseux expansion itself (Puiseux expansion (verified, ramification 2): x^(1/2) + O(x^(3))).

alkahest.experimental.puiseux_series is the sibling that expands them.

Python
from alkahest import ExprPool, sin, sqrt
from alkahest.experimental import puiseux_series

pool = ExprPool()
x = pool.symbol("x")

px = puiseux_series(sqrt(sin(x)), x, pool.integer(0), 5)

px.ramification          # 2   — the exponent lattice is (1/2)Z
px.valuation             # Fraction(1, 2)
px.remainder_order       # 5   — every omitted term has exponent >= 5
[(str(e), str(c)) for e, c in px.terms]
# [('1/2', '1'), ('5/2', '-1/12'), ('9/2', '1/1440')]
#   i.e.  sqrt(sin x) = x^(1/2) - x^(5/2)/12 + x^(9/2)/1440 + O(x^5)

order means the same thing it means for series: every term with exponent < order is present, and the remainder is O(h^order) — for a polar expansion too:

call result
series(1/sin(x), x, 0, 4) x^-1 + x/6 + 7x^3/360 + O(x^4)
puiseux_series(1/sin(x), x, 0, 4) x^-1 + x/6 + 7x^3/360 + O(x^4)

(Through 3.11 series labelled every Laurent result O(h^1) and computed only order coefficients past the pole, so a pole of order ≥ order lost terms the remainder claimed.)

Where both apply the coefficients are identical — puiseux_series routes every analytic sub-part through the same expansion engine series uses.

The ramification index is computed, not read off the input

Python
puiseux_series(sqrt(x**2 + x**3), x, pool.integer(0), 5).ramification   # 1

√(x²+x³) = x·√(1+x) — the zero under the radical has even order, so every exponent comes out an integer and the function is single-valued at 0. Reporting 2 because the input contains a square root would be a wrong claim about the branch structure.

Every returned expansion has been checked

A PuiseuxExpansion is only ever constructed after verification, and .evidence says what was done:

Python
px.evidence
# {'rungs': 4, 'conclusive_rungs': 4,
#  'worst_margin': -0.00236166155081996, 'power_check_passed': True}
  • The prefix ladder. Each truncation of the series — starting from the empty one, whose residual is the function itself and whose claimed rate is the valuation — is evaluated against the original function at six points approaching the expansion point, and the residual's decay exponent is fitted and compared against the exponent of the first omitted term. conclusive_rungs counts the rungs that produced a measured rate; worst_margin is the tightest observed − claimed over them. At least one rung must measure something, or the expansion is withheld.
  • power_check_passed. With ramification e, S^e has integer exponents, so it can be compared exactly against an independently computed expansion of f^e — √(sin x) squared is sin x. False means the check did not apply; a disagreement is a refusal.

An expansion that cannot be confirmed raises SeriesError with code E-SERIES-006 instead of being returned with a caveat: once it is in a caller's hands there is no way to tell a checked expansion from an unchecked one.

What it refuses

input code why
log(x), sqrt(x)*log(x) E-SERIES-005 a logarithm is not a Puiseux series. √x·log x needs a Puiseux–log (transseries) representation, which this engine does not have — returning x^(1/2) for it would be a wrong answer, not a coarse one (opposite sign at x=0.1, and the relative error grows without bound as x→0)
exp(1/x), sin(1/x) E-SERIES-005 essential singularity: no exponent bounds the remainder
ramification past the verifiable range E-SERIES-005 the decay-rate check could not distinguish the expansion from a neighbouring wrong one, and an expansion that cannot fail a check is not returned as though it passed one
a branch that is not real just above the point E-SERIES-006 nothing could be measured

Exact fractional exponents from Python

x ** Fraction(1, 3) is x^(1/3). It used not to be: Expr.__pow__ coerced its exponent through f64, so the exponent that reached the kernel was the binary rational 6004799503160661/18014398509481984 and puiseux_series refused it (ramification far past the verifiable range) rather than rounding it to the fraction you probably meant.

An exponent with an exact value now reaches the pool exactly — a Fraction, a decimal.Decimal, and a Python int of any width, including one too large for an i64. A Python float is still a float node, because a float is what it is.

Python
from fractions import Fraction

cube_root = sin(x) ** Fraction(1, 3)             # or sin(x).pow_expr(pool.rational(1, 3))
px = puiseux_series(cube_root, x, pool.integer(0), 5)
px.ramification                                  # 3
[(str(e), str(c)) for e, c in px.terms]
# [('1/3', '1'), ('7/3', '-1/18'), ('13/3', '-1/3240')]