Math 6350 Homework #6 Solutions

1. Suppose the branch of the logarithm is chosen so that 0 < arg z < 2. Under what
circumstances is it true that log z1 z2 = log z1 + log z2 ? Under what circumstances is it
true that log z p = p log z for a real number p?
Solution: The real parts certainly work out fine since they use only the properties of
the real logarithm: we have


ln |z1 z2 | = ln |z1 ||z2 | = ln |z1 | + ln |z2 |
and
ln |z p | = ln |z|p = p ln |z|.
Thus we only need to worry about the imaginary part.
First we ask when arg z1 z2 = arg z1 + arg z2 . The argument is assumed to be in (0, 2),
which means the left side is in (0, 2) while the right side can be anything between 0
and 4. We will therefore have
(
arg z1 + arg z2
arg z1 + arg z2 < 2
arg z1 z2 =
arg z1 + arg z2 2 2 < arg z1 + arg z2 < 4.
The condition is therefore that arg z1 + arg z2 < 2. Im not sure of a simpler way to
express this.
As for arg z p = p arg z, suppose z = rei for (0, 2). Then obviously arg z =
so that p arg z = p. On the other hand z p = rp eip and arg z p = p + 2n for some
integer n which makes p + 2n (0, 2). So as long as 0 < p arg z < 2 we will have
arg z p = p arg z.
2. Use the method from class to evaluate the integral
Z 2
dt
.
5 3 sin t
0
Solution: We express this as the integral around the closed curve (t) = eit , using
the fact that on this curve
sin t =

z 1/z
eit eit
=
.
2i
2i

We have dz = ieit dt = iz dt so that dt = dz/(iz). Therefore we can turn the integral

into
Z 2
Z
Z
dt
dz
2i dz

= 2
=
.
3
5 3 sin t
3iz + 10z 3i
0
iz 5 2i (z 1/z)

Now factor this quadratic to get

z=

10

100 36
10 8
=
6i
6i
1

which yields z = 3i and z = i/3. Only i/3 is inside the unit disc, so we may express
this integral as
Z
Z 2
f (z)
dt
=
5 3 sin t
z i/3
0
where
f (z) =

2i
.
3i(z 3i)

The integral is therefore equal to

Z 2
dt
4
4

= 2if (i/3) =
=
= .
5 3 sin t
3i(i/3 3i)
8
2
0
3. Ahlfors pg. 120 #2: Compute
Z
|z|=2

dz
+1

z2

by decomposing it into partial fractions.

Solution: Assuming a decomposition of the form
z2

1
A
B
=
+
,
+1
zi z+i

we must have A(z i) + B(z + i) = 1 for all z, and thus B = A and 2iA = 1 so
that A = i/2. We obtain
i 1
i 1
1
=

.
z2 + 1
2 zi 2 z+i
Hence the given integral is
Z

4. Compute

R
|z|=1

Z
Z
dz
i
dz
i
dz
=

2
z +1
2 zi 2 z+i
i
i
= (2i) (2i) = 0.
2
2

cos z/z n dz where n is any integer.

Solution: Using the general formula

Z
f (z)
2if (n1) (0)
=
n
(n 1)!
z
if n 1, we obtain
Z
|z|=1

0
n even and positive,
2i
cos z dz
=
1
n = 4k + 1 for k 0,
zn
(n 1)!

1 n = 4k + 3 for k 0.

On the other hand if n 0 then z n cos z is analytic at 0 and hence everywhere, so

that the integral is zero.
2

5. Ahlfors pg. 123 #2: Prove that a function f which is analytic on the whole plane and
satisfies an inequality |f (z)| < |z|n for some n and all sufficiently large z reduces to a
polynomial.
Solution: We will prove that f (n+1) (z) = 0 for all z C, which implies that f is a
polynomial of degree n. Using formula (24) we have
Z
f () d
(n + 1)!
(n+1)
f
(z) =
n+2
2i
C ( z)
whenever f is analytic inside C. Choose C to be a circle of large radius R; then we
have
Z
(n + 1)! 2
Rn+1 dt
1
(n + 1)!
(n+1)
|f
(z)|
=
.
n+2
2
(|R| |z|)
R
(1 |z/R|)n+2
0
For fixed z, let R go to infinity, and we get |f (n+1) (z)| 0, which implies f (n+1) (z) = 0
as desired.
6. From Counterexamples in Analysis by Gelbaum and Olmsted. Define
(
2
x3 /y 2 ex /y y > 0
f (x, y) =
0
y 0.
(a) Show that f is smooth (infinitely differentiable) in x for fixed y.
Solution: If y > 0 then obviously the function is smooth since its just a rescaling
2
of x3 ex which is smooth. If y 0 then its the zero function which is smooth
in x.
(b) Show that f is continuous in y for any fixed x.
Solution: Its clearly continuous at points y > 0 and at points y < 0, so we just
have to check that its continuous at y = 0. We have
lim+ f (x, y) = lim+

y0

y0

x3 z 2
1
u2
x3
=
lim
=
lim
=0
x u+ eu
y 2 ex2 /y z+ ex2 z

by LHopitals rule. We also have limy0 f (x, y) = f (x, 0) = 0, and since these
all match we have continuity in y.
(c) Show that
Z 1
Z 1
d 

f (x, y) dy 6=

 f (x, y) dy.
dx x=0 0
0 x x=0
Solution: First evaluate the left side. We have
Z 1
Z 1
2
f (x, y) dy =
x3 /y 2 ex /y dy
0
Z0 1

2
=
xex /y dy
0 y
y=1
2
= xex /y y=0
2

= xex lim+ xex

y0

= xe
3

x2

2 /y

whenever x 6= 0. Of course if x = 0 then the integral is zero, so this formula

always works. Differentiating we get
Z 1
d 
2
2 
f (x, y) dy = (ex 2x2 ex )x=0 = 1.

dx x=0 0
Now we work on the right side. We compute (if y > 0) that

3 2 x2 /y
2
2
f (x, y) =
x /y e
= 3x2 /y 2 ex /y 2x4 /y 3 ex /y ,
x
x


and evaluating at x = 0 we obtain x
f (x, y) = 0. On the other hand if y 0
x=0
then the derivative is clearly zero for any x (and thus for x = 0). Thus the integral
of the zero function is zero, and the right side is always zero.
(d) Show that f is not continuous at (0, 0).
Solution: We have f (0, 0) = 0 and we want to find a sequence (xn , yn ) such that
(xn , yn ) 0 and f (xn , yn ) does not converge to zero. Suppose yn = x2n /k for
some k; then we have
k 2 ek
.
f (xn , yn ) =
xn
Since (xn , yn ) (0, 0), we must have xn 0, so f (xn , yn ) .