  The character problems of SU(2) and SU(1,1) are reexamined from the
standpoint of a physicist by employing the Hilbert space method which is shown
to yield a completely unified treatment for SU(2) and the discrete series of
representations of SU(1,1). For both the groups the problem is reduced to the
evaluation of an integral which is invariant under rotation for SU(2) and
Lorentz transformation for SU(1,1). The integrals are accordingly evaluated by
applying a rotation to a unit position vector in SU(2) and a Lorentz
transformation to a unit SO(2,1) vector which is time-like for the elliptic
elements and space-like for the hyperbolic elements in SU(1,1). The details of
the procedure for the principal series of representations of SU(1,1) differ
substantially from those of the discrete series.
