MATH 322 CoViiix //isis

2. Introduction to complex functions

1 Review
So far we have seen the basic denition of complex numbers, and how to add, multiply and divide them.
We have seen how to represent them in the Argand plane.
Key skills:
1. Know the denition of modulus and argument, and how to nd them for any complex number;
2. State and prove De Moivres theorem: (cos + i sin )
:
= cos : + i sin :;
3. Know what the conjugate of a complex number is, and how it is useful;
4. Compute an integer root of a complex number.
In these notes we investigate the notion of a complex mapping. This will require a strong intuition of the
geometry of complex numbers, and also of complex functions.
2 Describing Domains
First, lets describe some basic regions in the complex plane.
horizontal line: {z : (z) = t}
vertical line: {z : (z) = t}
ray {z : arg(z) = }
wedge {z :
1
arg(z)
2
}
circle {z : |z t| = :}
Denition The unit circle is the set of complex numbers with modulus 1. The unit disc is the set of complex
numbers with modulus at most one.
Describe the sets dened by the equations (a) |z 1| = 1 (b) |z i| = 2
(a) Now let let z = x + ij be such that |z 1| = 1. Similarly, we derive that hence the equation is
equivalent to the the real valued equation

(x 1)
2
+ j
2
= 1 = (x 1)
2
+ j
2
= 1. Since x
and j are real, we recognize this as the equation for points on a circle of radius one centered at
(1, 0). Thus, this equation denes the set of points (x, j) in the Argand diagram that form the circle
of radius one centered at 1.
(b) In this case, the equation implies the real valued equation

x
2
+ (j 1)
2
= 2 = x
2
+ (j 1)
2
= 2
2
This is the dening equation for a circle of radius 2 centered at (0, 1).
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MATH 322 CoViiix //isis
Exercise. Draw the following three sets: {z : |z| = 1}; {z : |z| < 1}; {z : |z| 1}, and decide which
ones are open sets and which ones are closed sets (as sets in R
2
)
3 Complex Functions
(ref: 13) We are now interested in dening functions which map complex numbers to complex numbers.
We will give ourselves some basic notation, and then investigate some simple functions.
Ideally, we want | : C C such that when x is a real number, the function
| (x) behaves like the real version of the function.
We have already seen that addition and multiplication as we have described it satisfy the criterion.
Exercise. Prove that the square root, as we have described it so far, sends positive reals to positive
reals.
Denition. Let be a set of complex numbers. If a function | is dened for all values of , then it is
called the domain of the function. The set {| (z) : z } is the range of the function.
Example. | (z) = 1,z. We can dene this using the conjugate. Let z = x + ij. Then:
1
x + ij
=
1
x + ij
x ij
x ij
=
x ij
x
2
+ j
2
=
x
x
2
+ j
2
i
j
x
2
+ j
2

The domain of the function is C\ {0}. Is the range the same? If z is real, i.e. j = 0, then the above gives:
x
x
2
=
1
x
.
We think of complex functions as follows:
| (x + ij) = (x, j) + iv(x, j)
Example. | (z) = 1,z. Here, (x, j) =
x
x
2
+j
2
and v(x, j) =
j
x
2
+j
2
.
The functions and v map pairs of REAL NUMBERS to pairs of REAL NUMBERS. If v(x, j) = 0 for
any pair x, j, then | is real valued function. We can, and will, use results on multivariable real functions
to analyse complex functions.
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MATH 322 CoViiix //isis
Example. | (z) = z
2
. Find the real and complex parts of this function.
(x + ij)
2
= x
2
j
2

(x,j)
+i 2xj

v(x,j)
Again, remark that if j = 0, (x, 0) = x
2
and v(x, 0) = 0, so it behaves like the usual square operation.
Example. | (z) = |z|. Here,
|z| = |x + ij| =

x
2
+ j
2

(x,j)
+i 0

v(x,j)
Remark that (x, 0) =

x
2
= |x|.
Exercise. What is ^:j when restricted to the reals?
3.1 Exponential notation
Denition. Exponential notation. We know that z = : (cos + i sin ), where : = |z| and = ^:j(z).
We dene the following shorthand notation for (cos + i sin ):
Eulers formula: a
i
cos + i sin .
Why is this a reasonable notation?
Series:
cos + i sin =

|=0
(1)
|

2|
(2|)!
+ i

|=0
(1)
|

1+2|
(1 + 2|)!
=

|
(i)
|
|!
,
which *formally* resembles the real series of exp: a
x
=

x
:
,:!. (more on this later...)
By denition, a
i
= a
i(+2)
. Next note z
1
z
2
= :
1
a
i
1
:
2
a
i
2
, but we also know that c:j(z
1
z
2
)
c:j(z
1
) +c:j(z
2
) mod 2, so z
1
z
2
= :
1
:
2
a
i(
1
+
2
)
. This is much like the real valued a
x
for which
a
c|
= a
c
a
|
.
This is how we shall encode polar coordinates from now on. We will take the time to investigate complex
exponentiation in a later lecture.
MOST BEAUTIFUL FORMULA
OF MATHEMATICS:
a
i
+ 1 = 0
3.2 Polar notation
Sometimes, it will be preferable to view and v as a function of the real variables and :.
Example. | (z) = z
2
.
| (:a
i
) = :
2
a
2i
= :
2
cos 2

(:,)
+i :
2
sin 2

v(:,)
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MATH 322 CoViiix //isis
3.3 Multivalued functions
We have already remarked that a
i
and a
i(+2)
represent the same number. Hence, arg is a multivalued
function: arg(i) = {,2, 5,2, 9,2, }. In fact, this will lead us to other multi-valued functions, such
as square root and (complex) logarithm. We have already seen how there are multiple :-th roots of a
complex number.
Often, we will precise a particular value for the function to make it single valued. You are already used
to this for the square root function. Recall that 25
1,2
= 5, but we say that

25 = 5 is the principal
square root.
Example. | (z) = z
1,2
Similarly, for complex functions, we dene
z
1,2
=

:a
i,2
: 0, <
BUT, if the problems says, Solve for all solutions to z
2
= t, give all of the values.
4 Mappings: the geometry of complex functions
A mapping in complex analysis is the visualization of a complex function by drawing a pair of planes,
a domain plane and an image or range plane, illustrating how various regions in the domain plane are
mapped. We use vocabulary such as translation, rotation, reection, to convey the action of the function
on the domain.
Often, we write u = | (z), and talk about the z-plane (the domain) and the u-plane (the image).

4.1 Basic Mappings

Lets start o with some simple examples. (ref: 4; 7, 10)
A translation: | (z) = z + (3 + 4i); | (z) = z (3 + 4i)
A rotation: | (z) = a
,12i
z
A reection: | (z) = z
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MATH 322 CoViiix //isis
To analyze a mapping, we consider the image of the following: a point, a horizontal line, a vertical line,
a ray, a strip, a wedge, or anything that makes sense given the real and complex parts.
4.2 The geometry of z
2
Generically: start with a point, then look at lines, and then regions. Is it better to consider under polar
coordiantes, or rectangular?
(x + ij)
2
= x
2
j
2

(x,j)
+i 2xj

v(x,j)
:a
i
= :
2
a
2i
We noted already that the square operation rotates the points by doubling the angles.

5 The exponential function

We have started to dene the exponential function. Again, we will impose a denition and then later
deduce some usual properties of the exponential function.
a
z
= a
x+ij
a
x
a
ij
= a
x
(cos j + i sin j)
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MATH 322 CoViiix //isis
Reality Check: a
x+i0
= a
x
(cos 0 + i sin 0) = a
x
. That is, by this denition, we recover the usual real
version
a. A vertical line (circle)
b. A horizontal line (ray from origin)
c. rectangle (sector arc)
d. horizontal strip (half plane)
How do we nd these?
a. The vertical line z = t + ij xed t a
t+ij
= a
t

a constant
(cos j + i sin j)

along circle of radius 1
This is a circle.
b. The horizontal line z = x +it, xed t a
x+it
= a
x

growing modulus
(cos t + i sin t)

xed vector
This is a ray from the
origin
c. horizontal strip (half plane)

d. rectangle (sector arc)

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MATH 322 CoViiix //isis
6 Skill summary
1. Describe the action of addition, multiplication, and powers geometrically;
2. Describe any circle in the Argand plane using the modulus function. Esp. how to describe just the
boundary; and
3. Be able to identify the real and complex parts of a complex function;
4. some ideas to gure out what a complex function looks like. Specically, understand the image of
a rectangle under the a
z
.
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