Abstract
A method, developed for the study of reducible systems of differential equations, is applied to the study of the metric and electromagnetic pertur­bations of the Reissner-Nordström black hole. All the perturbed quantities are expressed in terms of two functions which satisfy the Zerilli-Moncrief equations. A simple particular solution, expressed in terms of elementary functions, is obtained, providing an explanation for the reducibility of the Reissner-Nordström perturbation equations to the Zerilli-Moncrief equa­tions. A presentation of the perturbation theory is suggested that avoids the traditional distinction between even- and odd-parity perturbations.

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