2016/17 MATH2230B/C Complex Variables with Applications

Suggested Solution of Selected Problems in HW 1

All the problems are from the textbook, Complex Variables and Application (9th edition).

1 P.71
3. Form results obtain in Secs. 21 and 23, determine where f 0 (z) exists and find its
value when
(a) f (z) = 1/z;
(b) f (z) = x2 + iy 2 ;
(c) f (z) = zIm(z).
Solution. Assume that z = x + iy, x, y ∈ R and denote
f (z) = f (x + iy) = u(x, y) + iv(x, y).
(a) Let f (z) = 1/z and rewrite f to be
 
1 x −y
f (z) = f (x + iy) = = 2 +i 2 .
x + iy x + y2 x + y2
For any (x0 , y0 ) 6= (0, 0), the function u(x, y) and v(x, y) are continuously
differentiable at (x0 , y0 ) and satisfy the Cauchy-Riemann equations:
∂u y 2 − x2 ∂v
(x, y) = 2 2 2
= (x, y),
∂x (x + y ) ∂y
∂u 2xy ∂v
(x, y) = − 2 2 2
= − (x, y).
∂y (x + y ) ∂x
Thus, f 0 (z) exists at z0 = x0 + iy0 .
For (x0 , y0 ) = (0, 0), the first-order partial derivatives of u(x, y) and v(x, y) do
not exist at (0, 0). Hence, f 0 (0) does not exist.
(b) For f (z) = x2 + iy 2 , we first calculate the first-order derivatives of u(x, y) and
v(x, y):
∂u ∂u
(x, y) = 2x, (x, y) = 0,
∂x ∂y
∂v ∂u
(x, y) = 0, (x, y) = 2y.
∂x ∂y
When z = x + ix, the Cauchy-Riemann equations is satisfied and hence f 0 (z)
exists and we have
f 0 (z) = f (x + ix) = 2x.
For z = x + iy with x 6= y, the Cauchy-Riemann equations is not satisfied and
f 0 (z) does not exist at those points.
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(c) For f (z) = zIm(z), the first-order derivatives of u(x, y) and v(x, y) are
∂u ∂u
(x, y) = y, (x, y) = x,
∂x ∂y
∂v ∂u
(x, y) = 0, (x, y) = 2y.
∂x ∂y
Hence, the Cauchy-Riemann equations can be satisfied only at z = 0 and
f 0 (0) = 0. For z 6= 0, f 0 (z) does not exist.

4. Use the theorem in Sec. 24 to show that each of these functions is differentiable in
the indicated domain of definition, and also to find f 0 (z):
(a) f (z) = 1/z 4 (z 6= 0);
(b) f (z) = e−θ cos(log r) + ie−θ sin(log r) (r > 0, 0 < θ < 2π).

Proof. For z 6= 0, we write z = reiθ with r > 0 and −π < θ ≤ π and f (z) =
u(r, θ) + iv(r, θ).
(a) By simple computation, for f (z) = 1/z 4 , we have
u(r, θ) = r−4 cos(4θ) and v(r, θ) = −r−4 sin(4θ).
Also, the first-order derivatives of u(r, θ) and v(r, θ) with respect to r and θ
exist and are continuous for (r, θ) with r > 0 and θ ∈ (−π, π]. We compute
them as follow
ur = −4r−5 cos(4θ), uθ = −4r−4 sin(4θ),
vr = 4r−5 sin(4θ), vθ = −4−4 cos(4θ).
Observe that for any (r, θ) with r > 0 and −π < θ ≤ π, the polar form of the
Cauchy-Riemann equations are satisfied at (r, θ):
rur = −4r−4 cos(4θ) = vθ ,
uθ = −4r−4 sin(4θ) = −rvr .
Hence, f 0 (z) exists and
−4
f 0 (z) = e−iθ (−4r−5 cos(4θ) + i4r−5 sin(4θ)) = −4r−5 e−i5θ = .
z5
(b) By simple calculation, we have the following results:
u(r, θ) = e−θ cos(log r), v(r, θ) = e−θ sin(log r),
ur = −e−θ sin(log r)/r, uθ = −e−θ cos(log r),
vr = e−θ cos(log r)/r, vθ = −e−θ sin(log r).
Hence, the polar form of Cauchy-Riemann equations are satisfied at (r, θ) with
r > 0 and θ ∈ (0, 2π)
rur = vθ and uθ = −rvr .
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2 P.85
5. Show that if the condition that f (x) is real in the reflection principle (Sec. 29)
is replaced by the condition that f (x) is pure imaginary, then equation (1) in the
statement of the principle is changed to

f (z) = −f (z).

Proof. As usual, we denote f (z) = f (x + iy) = u(x, y) + iv(x, y).

f (z) = u(x, 0) + iv(x, 0) = −u(x, 0) + iv(x, 0) = −f (z).

It implies that u(x, 0) = 0 and f is pure imaginary for each poitn x on the segment.
Next, we assume that f (x) is purely imaginary at each point x on the segment.
Define F (z) = f (z) and similar to the theorem in Section 29, F (z) is analytic in D
and
F (z) = U (x, y) + iV (x, y) = u(x, −y) − iv(x, −y).
Since f (x) is purely imaginary on the segment, then

F (x) = iV (x, 0) = −iv(x, 0) = −f (x).

By the uniqueness of the analytic function, we have

F (z) = −f (z) in D.

This implies that