Understanding Simple Poles and Residues in Function 1/(z^4 + 1)

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In summary, the function 1/(z^4 + 1) has poles at e^{i\pi/4}, e^{3i\pi/4}, e^{5i\pi/4}, and e^{7i\pi/4}, which are all simple poles of order 1. This means that the function can be written as a product of factors, where each factor has a power of 1 in the denominator.
  • #1
philip041
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I have a function 1/(z^4 + 1)

I know the poles are pi/4, 3pi/4, 5pi/4, 7pi/4

It says they are simple poles, I thought I understood why, but now I am totally confused. How does my lecturer just know that they are simple?

A simple pole is a pole of order 1, but I thought this meant you look at the series and get the order from the highest indice of z on the denominator?

Help!

Cheers
 
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  • #2
The numerator has simple zeroes, so the function is pof the form:

1/[(z-a)(z-b)(z-c)(z-d)]

where a, b, c, and d are different. If you expand this around, say, z = a, you can proceed as follows. You can write the function as:

1/(z-a) * 1/[(z-b)(z-c)(z-d)]

The factor 1/[(z-b)(z-c)(z-d)] is not singular at z = a, so it has a regular Taylor expansion. So, the Laurent expansion of the function around z = a is given by the Taylor expansion of that factor times 1/(z-a).
 
  • #3
What is a simple zero?
 
  • #4
philip041 said:
I have a function 1/(z^4 + 1)

I know the poles are pi/4, 3pi/4, 5pi/4, 7pi/4
Then you know wrong. The poles are [itex](\sqrt{2}/2)(1+ i)[/itex], [itex]-(\sqrt{2}/2)(1- i)[/itex], [itex](-\sqrt{2}/2)(1+ i)[/itex], and [itex](\sqrt{2}/2)(1- i)[/itex], which can be written [itex]e^{i\pi/4}[/itex], [itex]e^{3i\pi/4}[/itex], [itex]e^{5i\pi/4}[/itex], and [itex]e^{7i\pi/4}[/itex].

It says they are simple poles, I thought I understood why, but now I am totally confused. How does my lecturer just know that they are simple?

A simple pole is a pole of order 1, but I thought this meant you look at the series and get the order from the highest indice of z on the denominator?

Help!

Cheers
[tex]\frac{1}{z^4+ 1}= \frac{1}{z- (\sqrt{2}/2)(1+ i)}\frac{1}{z+ (\sqrt{2}/2)(1-i)}\frac{1}{z+(\sqrt{2}/2)(1+ i)}\frac{1}{z-(\sqrt{2}/2)(1-i)}[/tex]
Each of those numbers is a "simple pole" or "pole of order 1" because each has a power of 1 in the denominator.
 
  • #5
Cheers, this helps!
 

What is a simple pole?

A simple pole is a type of singularity that occurs in a complex function when the denominator of the function becomes zero at a certain point. It is called "simple" because the function can be expanded in a Laurent series around that point with only one negative power term.

How do you calculate the residue at a simple pole?

To calculate the residue at a simple pole, you can use the formula Res(f,z0) = lim(z->z0) (z-z0)f(z), where z0 is the location of the simple pole and f(z) is the complex function. This formula essentially involves plugging in the location of the simple pole into the function and evaluating the result.

What is the significance of residues at simple poles?

Residues at simple poles have important applications in complex analysis and are used to evaluate integrals and sums. They also play a crucial role in the development of the Cauchy residue theorem, which is a powerful tool for evaluating complex integrals.

How do you identify a simple pole in a complex function?

A simple pole can be identified by looking at the denominator of the complex function. If there is a point where the denominator becomes zero and the function can still be expanded in a Laurent series with only one negative power term, then that point is a simple pole.

Are simple poles and residues only found in complex functions?

Yes, simple poles and residues are only found in complex functions because they involve complex numbers. In real-valued functions, there are no singularities that can be expanded in a Laurent series with only one negative power term, so there are no simple poles or residues.

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