Contour Integration: Dealing With Poles

[pivoxa15]

If you have poles on the contour, what do you do about them?

 

[Haelfix]

Why wouldn't you be completely free to make a new contour that goes around the old one and cuts around the point(s).

Maybe I am missing something about the question ;x

 

[Kummer]

If you have poles on the contour, what do you do about them?

The contour integral is not defined if you have poles on the contour itself. But if you are trying to compute some real integral chose a contour which avoids this.