Bailey pairs and strange identities

Abstract

Zagier introduced the term "strange identity" to describe an asymptotic relation between a certain $q$-hypergeometric series and a partial theta function at roots of unity. We show that behind Zagier's strange identity lies a statement about Bailey pairs. Using the iterative machinery of Bailey pairs then leads to many families of multisum strange identities, including Hikami's generalization of Zagier's identity.

Preprint, 27 pages