Difference between revisions of "Cauchy's Integral Formula"

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which is equivalent to the desired theorem.  <math>\blacksquare</math>
 
which is equivalent to the desired theorem.  <math>\blacksquare</math>
  
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== Consequences ==
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By induction, we see that the <math>n</math>th derivative of <math>f</math> at <math>z_0</math> is
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<cmath> f^{(n)}(z_0) = (-1)^{n-1} (n-1)! \int\limits_C \frac{f(z)}{(z-z_0)^n}dz, </cmath>
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for <math>n>0</math>.  In particular, the <math>n</math>th derivative ''exists'' at <math>z_0</math>,
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for all <math>n>0</math>.  In other words, if a function <math>f</math> is
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complex-differentiable on some region, then it is ''infinitely
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differentiable'' on the interior of that region.
  
 
== See also ==
 
== See also ==

Revision as of 03:02, 6 April 2009

Cauchy's Integral Formula is a fundamental result in complex analysis. It states that if $U$ is a subset of the complex plane containing a simple counterclockwise loop $C$ and the region bounded by $C$, and $f$ is a complex-differentiable function on $U$, then for any $z_0$ in the interior of the region bounded by $C$, \[\frac{1}{2\pi i} \int\limits_C \frac{f(z)}{z- z_0}dz = f(z_0) .\]

Proof

Let $D$ denote the interior of the region bounded by $C$. Let $C_r$ denote a simple counterclockwise loop about $z_0$ of radius $r$. Since the interior of the region bounded by $C$ is an open set, there is some $R$ such that $C_r \subset D$ for all $r \in (0, R)$. For such values of $r$, \[\int\limits_C \frac{f(z)}{z-z_0}dz = \int\limits_{C_r} \frac{f(z)}{z-z_0}dz ,\] by application of Cauchy's Integral Theorem.

Since $f$ is differentiable at $z_0$, for any $\epsilon$ we may pick an arbitarily small $r>0$ such that \[\left\lvert \frac{f(z)-f(z_0)}{z-z_0} - f'(z_0) \right\rvert < \epsilon\] whenever $\lvert z - z_0 \rvert \le r$. Let us parameterize $C_r$ as $h(t) = r e^{it}+ z_0$, for $t\in [0,2\pi]$. Since $\int\limits_{C_r} f'(z_0)dz = 0$ (again by Cauchy's Integral Theorem), it follows that \begin{align*} \biggl\lvert \int\limits_{C_r} \frac{f(z)}{z-z_0}dz - \int\limits_{C_r} \frac{f(z_0)}{z-z_0}dz \biggr\rvert &= \biggl\lvert \int\limits_{C_r} \left[ \frac{f(z) - f(z_0)}{z-z_0} - f'(z_0) \right] dz \biggr\rvert \\ &\le \int\limits_0^{2\pi} \left\lvert \frac{f(h(t)) - f(z_0)}{ h(t) - z_0} - f'(z_0) \right\vert \cdot r dt \\ &< \int\limits_0^{2\pi} \epsilon \cdot r dt = 2\pi \epsilon r . \end{align*} Since $\epsilon$ and $r$ can simultaneously become arbitrarily small, it follows that \begin{align*} \int\limits_C \frac{f(z)}{z-z_0}dz &= \int\limits_{C_r} \frac{f(z_0)} {z- z_0}dz \\ &= f(z_0) \int\limits_{0}^{2\pi} \frac{h'(t)}{h(t) - z_0} dt \\ &= f(z_0) \int\limits_{0}^{2\pi} \frac{ir e^{it}}{re^{it}} dt \\ &= f(z_0) \cdot 2\pi i , \end{align*} which is equivalent to the desired theorem. $\blacksquare$

Consequences

By induction, we see that the $n$th derivative of $f$ at $z_0$ is \[f^{(n)}(z_0) = (-1)^{n-1} (n-1)! \int\limits_C \frac{f(z)}{(z-z_0)^n}dz,\] for $n>0$. In particular, the $n$th derivative exists at $z_0$, for all $n>0$. In other words, if a function $f$ is complex-differentiable on some region, then it is infinitely differentiable on the interior of that region.

See also