EllipticF[ϕ,m]
gives the elliptic integral of the first kind .


EllipticF
EllipticF[ϕ,m]
gives the elliptic integral of the first kind .
Details

- Mathematical function, suitable for both symbolic and numerical manipulation.
- For real
,
and
,
.
- The complete elliptic integral associated with EllipticF is EllipticK.
- EllipticF is the inverse of JacobiAmplitude for real arguments. If
, then
for
.
- EllipticF[ϕ,m] has branch discontinuity at
and at
.
- For certain special arguments, EllipticF automatically evaluates to exact values.
- EllipticF can be evaluated to arbitrary numerical precision.
- EllipticF automatically threads over lists.
- EllipticF can be used with Interval and CenteredInterval objects. »
Examples
open all close allBasic Examples (4)
Scope (36)
Numerical Evaluation (5)
Evaluate for complex arguments:
The precision of the output tracks the precision of the input:
Evaluate EllipticF efficiently at high precision:
Compute worst-case guaranteed intervals using Interval and CenteredInterval objects:
Or compute average case statistical intervals using Around:
Compute the elementwise values of an array:
Or compute the matrix EllipticF function using MatrixFunction:
Specific Values (5)
Simple exact values are generated automatically:
Limiting values on branch cuts:
Find the root of the equation :
EllipticF is an odd function with respect to its first parameter:
Visualization (3)
Function Properties (10)
is defined for all real values:
EllipticF is an odd function with respect to its first parameter:
Has no singularities or discontinuities:
is not a meromorphic function of
and
:
is nondecreasing on its real domain:
Differentiation (3)
Integration (3)
Indefinite integral of EllipticF:
Definite integral of an odd function over an interval centered at the origin is 0:
Series Expansions (3)
Function Representations (4)
The definition of the elliptic integral of the second kind:
Relation to EllipticPi:
EllipticF can be represented as a DifferentialRoot:
TraditionalForm formatting:
Applications (5)
Carry out an elliptic integral:
Plot an incomplete elliptic integral over the complex plane:
Calculate the surface area of a triaxial ellipsoid:
The area of an ellipsoid with half axes 3, 2, 1:
Calculate volume through integrating the differential surface elements:
Arc length parametrization of a curve that minimizes the integral of the square of its curvature:
Parametrization of a Mylar balloon (two flat sheets of plastic sewn together at their circumference and then inflated):
Calculate the ratio of the main curvatures:
Express the radius of the original sheets through the radius of the inflated balloon:
Properties & Relations (7)
EllipticF[ϕ,m] is real valued for real arguments subject to the following conditions:
Expand special cases under argument restrictions:
Compositions with the inverse function need PowerExpand:
Solve an equation containing EllipticF:

Possible Issues (2)
Neat Examples (2)
See Also
EllipticK EllipticE EllipticPi JacobiZeta JacobiAmplitude CarlsonRF
Function Repository: BulirschEL2 BulirschEL1 BulirschEL3 BulirschEL HeumanLambda
Tech Notes
Related Guides
Related Links
History
Introduced in 1988 (1.0) | Updated in 1996 (3.0) ▪ 2020 (12.2) ▪ 2021 (13.0) ▪ 2022 (13.1)
Text
Wolfram Research (1988), EllipticF, Wolfram Language function, https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticF.html (updated 2022).
CMS
Wolfram Language. 1988. "EllipticF." Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Wolfram Research. Last Modified 2022. https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticF.html.
APA
Wolfram Language. (1988). EllipticF. Wolfram Language & System Documentation Center. Retrieved from https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticF.html
BibTeX
@misc{reference.wolfram_2025_ellipticf, author="Wolfram Research", title="{EllipticF}", year="2022", howpublished="\url{https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticF.html}", note=[Accessed: 11-August-2025]}
BibLaTeX
@online{reference.wolfram_2025_ellipticf, organization={Wolfram Research}, title={EllipticF}, year={2022}, url={https://reference.wolfram.com/language/ref/EllipticF.html}, note=[Accessed: 11-August-2025]}