Complex Integration using residue theorem

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The discussion revolves around evaluating the limit of an integral over a semicircular contour in the upper half-plane as the radius approaches zero. The function under consideration has a simple pole at z=0, with the residue calculated as i(a-b). The application of Cauchy's Residue Theorem suggests that the integral over the semicircle equals πi times the residue, leading to the conclusion that the limit of the integral is π(a-b). A participant expresses confusion about the symmetry of the function and the equality of integrals over the upper and lower semicircles, but another suggests directly evaluating the integral of 1/z to clarify the result. The discussion emphasizes the importance of understanding residue calculations in complex integration.
arpon
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Homework Statement


Untitled.png
[/B]
##C_\rho## is a semicircle of radius ##\rho## in the upper-half plane.
What is
$$\lim_{\rho\rightarrow 0} \int_{C_{\rho}} \frac{e^{iaz}-e^{ibz}}{z^2} \,dz$$

Homework Equations


If ##C## is a closed loop and ##z_1, z_2 ... z_n## are the singular points inside ##C##,
$$\int_C f(z) \,dz =2\pi i \sum_{k=1}^n Res_{z=z_k}f(z)$$

The Attempt at a Solution


According to the solution,
$$--------------$$
$$\begin{align}
f(z)&= \frac{e^{iaz}-e^{ibz}}{z^2}\\
&= \frac{1}{z^2}\left[\left(1+\frac{iaz}{1!}+\frac{(iaz)^2}{2!}+\frac{(iaz)^3}{3!}+...\right)-\left(1+\frac{ibz}{1!}+\frac{(ibz)^2}{2!}+\frac{(ibz)^3}{3!}+...\right)\right]\\
&=\frac{i(a-b)}{z}+...~~~(0<|z|<\infty)
\end{align}$$
So ##z=0## is a simple pole of ##f(z)##, with residue ##B_0=i(a-b)##. Thus
$$\begin{align} \lim_{\rho\rightarrow 0} \int_{C_{\rho}}f(z) \,dz &=-B_0\pi i\\
&=-i(a-b)\pi i\\
&=\pi(a-b)\end{align}$$
$$--------------$$
I do not understand equation (4).
I guess Cauchy's Residue Theorem is applied here. According to that theorem, integral over a closed contour is equal to ##2\pi i## times the residue. I guess, it was assumed that for semicircular contour, the integral would be ##\pi i## times the residue, may be because of integrals over an upper semi-circle and over a lower semi-circle being equal.
But I do not understand why the integrals over an upper semi-circle and over a lower semi-circle are equal.
##f(z)## is not symmetric about real-axis, because
$$\begin{align}
f(z)=&f(re^{i\theta})\\
&=\frac{\exp(ia\cdot re^{i\theta})-\exp(ib\cdot re^{i\theta})}{r^2 e^{i2\theta}}\\
&=\frac{\exp(-ar\sin{\theta+iar\cos{\theta}})-\exp(-br\sin{\theta+ibr\cos{\theta}})}{r^2e^{i2\theta}}\end{align}$$
Now, if ##\theta## is substituted by ##-\theta##, the expression is not the same.
 
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arpon said:

Homework Statement


View attachment 110058 [/B]
##C_\rho## is a semicircle of radius ##\rho## in the upper-half plane.
What is
$$\lim_{\rho\rightarrow 0} \int_{C_{\rho}} \frac{e^{iaz}-e^{ibz}}{z^2} \,dz$$

.

To obtain eq. (4), just evaluate the integral ##\int_{C_{\rho}} (1/z) dz## explicitly; there is no need to use Theorems.
 
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Question: A clock's minute hand has length 4 and its hour hand has length 3. What is the distance between the tips at the moment when it is increasing most rapidly?(Putnam Exam Question) Answer: Making assumption that both the hands moves at constant angular velocities, the answer is ## \sqrt{7} .## But don't you think this assumption is somewhat doubtful and wrong?

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