Lambert W Real Branches
Invert a nonmonotone exponential relation and track its two real branches.
Free theory articleInvert a nonmonotone exponential relation and track its two real branches.
Concept & interpretation
The Lambert W function is defined as the multi-valued inverse of the function w ↦ w e^w. Since the mapping is not injective on the real line, its real-valued inverse requires two branches.
Experimenting with Branches
You can use the interactive module to explore the two real branches of the Lambert W function.
- Select the Input from the dropdown to probe different regions of the domain.
- Select the Branch to evaluate either the Principal (W_0) or Lower (W_(-1)) branch.
- Observe the plotted value and how it lies on the curve (w e^w, w).