WA 9: Solutions

Problem 1. Suppose Γ is an analytic function in C except for a set of nonpositive

integers, where it has simple poles. Suppose, moreover, that Γ(1) = 1 and zΓ(z) =
Γ(z + 1) for all regular points. Prove that
(−1)n
Resz=−n Γ(z) = , n = 0, 1, . . . .
n!

Solution. We have
Γ(z + 1) Γ(z + 2) Γ(z + n + 1)
Γ(z) = = = ··· = .
z z(z + 1) z(z + 1) · · · (z + n − 1)(z + n)
Since Γ(z) is analytic at z = 1, we conclude that Γ(z) has a simple pole at z = −n
for every n = 0, 1, 2, . . ., and one has for n = 0 that
(−1)0
Resz=0 Γ(z) = Γ(1) = 1 = ,
0!
and for n = 1, 2, . . . that
Γ(z + n + 1)  Γ(1) (−1)n
Resz=−n Γ(z) = = = .

z(z + 1) · · · (z + n − 1) z=−n −n(−n + 1) · · · (−1) n!


1
Problem 2. If zν is a pole of z 4 +a4 , show that
zν
Resz=zν = − .
4a4

Solution. Since g(z) = z 4 + a4 has 4 simple zeros at the 4-th roots of −a4 , the
1 1
function f (z) = g(z) = z4 +a4 has 4 simple poles at those points. If zν is one of

these poles then

1 1 1 zν zν
Resz=zν = 4 = 3 = 4 = − 4.
z 4 + a4 (z + a4 )0 |z=zν 4zν 4zν 4a

dz
where C is the positively oriented ellipse 2x2 + y 2 = 23 .
R
Problem 3. Find 1+z 3
C
√
1 1 3
Solution. The function f (z) = 1+z 3 has simple poles at z1 = −1, z2 = 2 +2 i,
√
and z3 = 12 − 23 i, of which only z2 and z3 are inside the ellipse 2x2 + y 2 = 32 .
Therefore, by the Cauchy residue theorem
Z    
dz 1 1 1 1 2πi
= 2πi Resz=z2 + Resz=z3 = 2πi + 2 =− .
1 + z3 1 + z3 1 + z3 3z22 3z3 3
C

Problem 4. In each case, write the Laurent series of the function at its isolated
singular point and determine whether that point is a pole, a removable singular
point, or an essential singular point, and find the residue at that point:
z2
(a) ze1/z ; (b) 1+z ; (c) 1−cosh
z3
z
; (d) (2 − z)−3 .
1
2

Solution. (a) The function f (z) = ze1/z has the only singular point at z = 0
and its Laurent series is given by
 
1 1 1 1 1
ze1/z = z 1 + + 2
+ · · · + n
+ · · · =z+1+ + 2 + ··· .
1!z 2!z n!z 2z 6z
Thus z = 0 is an essential singular point and Resz=0 ze1/z = 21 .

z2
(b) The function f (z) = 1+z has the only singular point at z = −1 and its
Laurent series is given by
z2 z2 − 1 + 1 1 1
= =z−1+ = (z + 1) − 2 + .
1+z 1+z 1+z z+1
 2 
z
Thus z = −1 is a simple pole and Resz=−1 1+z = 1.

(c) The function f (z) = 1−cosh z3

z
has the only singular point at z = 0 and its
Laurent series is given by
z2 z4 z 2n
 
1 − cosh z 1 1 z
3
= 3
1 − 1 − − − · · · − − · · · =− − − ··· .
z z 2! 4! (2n)! 2z 24
Thus z = 0 is a simple pole and Resz=0 1−cosh z
= − 12 .


z3

(d) The function f (z) = (2 − z)−3 has the only singular point at z = 2 and its
Laurent series is given by
(2 − z)−3 = −(z − 2)−3 .
Thus z = 2 is a pole of order 3 and Resz=2 (2 − z)−3 = 0.

Problem 5. Use the theorem involving a single residue to evaluate the integral
of f (z) around the positively oriented circle |z| = 3 when
(3z+2)2 z 3 (1−3z) z 3 e1/z
(a) f (z) = z(z−1)(2z+5) ; (b) f (z) = (1+z)(1+2z 4 ) ; (c) f (z) = 1+z 3 .

2
(3z+2)
Solution. (a) The function f (z) = z(z−1)(2z+5) has simple poles at z = 0, z = 1,
and z = −5/2, all of which lie inside the circle C3 = {z ∈ Z : |z| = 3. Therefore,

(3z + 2)2 (3/z + 2)2

Z
1
dz = 2πi Resz=0 2
C3 z(z − 1)(2z + 5) z 1/z(1/z − 1)(2/z + 5)
(3 + 2z)2 9
= 2πi Resz=0 = 2πi · = 9πi.
z(1 − z)(2 + 5z) 2

3
z (1−3z)
(b) The function f (z) = (1+z)(1+2z 4 ) has simple poles at z = −1, and at 4 roots

of order 4 of −1/2, all of which lie inside C3 . Therefore,

z 3 (1 − 3z) 1/z 3 (1 − 3/z)

Z
1
4
dz = 2πi Res z=0
C3 (1 + z)(1 + 2z ) z 2 (1 + 1/z)(1 + 2/z 4 )
z4 − 3
 
3
= 2πi Resz=0 = 2πi · − = −3πi.
z(z + 1)(z 4 + 2) 2
 3

3 1/z
(c) The function f (z) = z1+z e
3 has simple poles at the 3 roots of order 3 of −1
and an essential singular point at z = 0, and all of these singular points lie inside
C3 . Therefore,
z 3 e1/z 1 1/z 3 ez
Z
3
dz = 2πi Res z=0
C3 1 + z z 2 1 + 1/z 3
ez
 z 
d e
= 2πi Resz=0 2 3 = 2πi · = 2πi.

z (z + 1) dz z 3 + 1 z=0