Complex Analysis
Homework 3
Due Date: 21/10/2024
Instructions: Please show all your work clearly. You may ask the tutor and discuss ques-
tions with other students, but the solution must be written in your own words. Be sure to
cite any sources that helped with your solutions (no points will be deducted).
1. Find all possible values for the integral
Z
dz
,
γ 1 + z2
where γ is any piece-wise C 1 loop in C not containing {i, −i}.
2. Let P : C → R be defined by P (z) = Re(z); show that P is an open map but is not a
closed map.
3. Assume f is an entire function and p is a polynomial of degree d. Assume that there
exists M > 0 such that
|f (z)| ≤ |p(z)| for all |z| ≥ M .
Show that f (z) is a polynomial of degree at most d.
4. Let f : C → C be an entire function.
(i) Show that if Re(f ) is bounded (from above or below) then f is constant. You
may wish to consider the function g = e±f .
(ii) Show that if Re(f ) ≤ Im(f ), then f is constant.
5. Assume f : U → C is a holomorphic function on a simply connected open set U such
that f (z) 6= 0 for all z ∈ U . Let n ≥ 2 be an integer. Show that there is a holomorphic
function g : U → C such that g(z)n = f (z).
6. Let d be a non-negative integer. A weak composition of d into r parts is the tuple of
non-negative integers (d1 , d2 , . . . , dr ) such that d1 + · · · + dr = d.
(a) For |z| < 1, show that the following Taylor’s expansion hold at z = 0:
∞
1 X r+d−1 d
= z .
(1 − z)r d=0
d
(b) Convince yourself that the number of weak composition equals the dimension of
the subspace of degree d homogeneous polynomial in C[x1 , . . . , xr ]. Prove that
d+r−1
#{(d1 , d2 , . . . , dr ) : d1 + · · · + dr = d} = .
d
1
Complex Analysis
(c) Prove the following identity:
X 2r + d − 1
(1 + d1 ) · (1 + d2 ) · · · (1 + dr ) = ,
d1 +···+dr =d
d
where sum is taken over all weak composition of d.
7. Consider the power series expansion
X zk∞
z
= Bk .
ez − 1 k=0 k!
The expansion holds for |z| < 2π. The coefficients Bk are called the Bernoulli numbers.
(i) Find the first non-zero Bernoulli numbers.
(ii) Prove that B2k+1 = 0 for all k ≥ 0.
(iii) Show that
p+1
p p 1 X p j p+1
1 + 2 + ··· + N = (−1) Bj N p+1−j .
p + 1 j=0 j
What does this formula give for p = 1, 2, 3?
