SOLUTIONS TO MIDTERM #2, MATH 300

1. (12 marks) Answer true or false to the following statements. Give valid reasons for all
your answers.
I
(a) If f (z) is analytic on a simple closed smooth curve C then f (z)dz = 0.
C
1/z
(b) The function f (z) = ze has a pole at z = 0.
∞
X zn √
(c) The power series (−1)n converges to the function cos z for all z.
n=0
(2n)!
∞
X
(d) If the power series f (z) = an z n converges for z = 2 + ı then it converges for
n=0
z = ı.

Solution: Z
1
(a) False. For example dz = 2πı where C is the positively oriented unit circle.
C z
I plane {z | z 6= 0} but not at the
The function f (z) = 1/z is analytic in the punctured
origin. The Cauchy Integral Theorem states that f (z)dz = 0 if f (z) is analytic on
the simple closed contour C and analytic inside C.
(b) False. It has an essential singularity at z = 0 since the Laurent series about z = 0
∞
1/z
X 1 −n+1
is ze = z . There are infinitely many negative powers of z.
n=0
n!
Remark: Suppose f (z) has an isolated singularity at z = z0 , that is, f (z) is analytic
in some open annulus {z | 0 < |z − z0 | < R}. Then the singularity at z0 is:

• removable if f (z) can be defined at z = z0 so that it becomes analytic there. A

sin z
good example of this is the function f (z) = . The formula for the function
z
doesn’t make sense at z = 0, but if we define f (0) = 1 then it becomes analytic
at z = 0.
• a pole of order n if the Laurent series expansion at z0 has the form

f (z) = a−n (z − z0 )−n + a−n+1 (z − z0 )−n+1 + · · · + +a0 + · · · , where a−n 6= 0, n > 0.

In other words f (z) has a pole at z = z0 if the Laurent series expansion has
negative powers of z − z0 , but only finitely many. The order of the pole is n if
there are no negative powers (z − z0 )k for k < −n.
• essential if there are infinitely many negative powers of z −z0 in the Laurent series
expansion of f (z) at z = z0 . Typical examples are e1/z and sin(1/z).

1
 √
(c) True. This follows from replacing z by z = z 1/2 in the Maclaurin expansion of the
∞ 2n
X
n z √
cosine function: cos z = (−1) . Remark: The function z is multivalued on
n=0 √
(2n)!
the complex plane C, but cos z is single valued because the cosine function is even.
√ √
EXERCISE: √ Determine the Maclaurin series expansions of the functions z sin z
sin z
and √ .
z
(d) True since |2+ı| > |ı|. Lemma 2 on page 253 of the text states that if a power series
X∞
an z n converges for some z with |z| = R then it converges for all z with |z| < R.
n=0

2. (12 marks) The following questions require little or no computation.

(a) Suppose f (z) and g(z) are analytic for |z| ≤ 1 and f (z) + g(z) = 0 for all z such
that |z| = 1. Show that f (z) + g(z) = 0 for all z such that |z| ≤ 1.
1
(b) Find the Laurent series for f (z) = 2 valid for |z| > 1.
z (z − 1)
∞
X z 2j
(c) Find the radius of convergence R of the power series j
.
j=0
3

Solution:
(a) Let C be the unit circle positively oriented. We need only show that f (z)+g(z) = 0
for all z inside C. Since f (z)+g(z) is analytic on C and inside C we can apply a Cauchy
Integral Formula:
Z Z
1 f (ζ) + g(ζ) 1 0
f (z) + g(z) = dζ = dζ = 0
2πı C ζ −z 2πı C ζ − z

∞ ∞
1 1 X 1 1 X 1
(b) 2 = 3 = n+3
by the geometric series: = ,
z (z − 1) z (1 − 1/z) n=0
z 1 − 1/z n=0
zn
which converges since |z| > 1.
√
(c) The radius of convergence is R = 3 since
 z 2j+2 z 2j  |z 2 | √
lim  j+1 / j = < 1 ⇐⇒ |z| < 3
 
j→∞ 3 3 3
Z
sin πz
3. (12 marks) Compute dz, where C is the circle |z| = 1 with the positive
C z 2 (z− 2)
orientation.

2
 1
First we compute the partial fraction decomposition of f (z) = :
z 2 (z− 2)

1 A1 A 2 A3
f (z) = = + 2 +
z 2 (z
− 2) z z z−2
d 2
 d 
−1  1
A1 = z f (z)  = (z − 2)  = −

dz z=0 dz z=0 4
2 1  1
A2 = z f (z)|z=0 =  =−
z − 2 z=0 2
Z
sin πz
The value of A3 is immaterial since dz = 0 by the Cauchy Integral Theorem.
C z−2
Thus
Z Z Z
sin πz 1 sin πz 1 sin πz
2
dz = − dz − dz
C z (z − 2) 4 C z 2 C z2
1 1 d
= − × 2πı × sin πz|z=0 − × 2πı × (sin πz)|z=0
4 2 dz
= −π 2 ı

4. (12 marks) Suppose I P (z) = (z − r1 )s1 (z − r2 )s2 is a polynomial with distinct roots
zP 0 (z)
(r1 6= r2 ). Show that dz = 2πı(r1 s1 + r2 s2 ) for all R sufficiently large, where
CR P (z)
CR is the positively oriented circle |z| = R.
zP 0 (z) s1 z s2 z
Solution: = + and therefore
P (z) z − r1 z − r2

zP 0 (z)
I I  
s1 z s2 z
dz = + dz
CR P (z) CR z − r1 z − r2
= 2πı (s1 r1 + s2 r2 )

so long as R is large enough that the roots r1 , r2 are inside the circle |z| = R.