- #1
Poirot
- 94
- 3
Homework Statement
Find the residues of the function f(z), and compute the following contour integrals.
a) the anticlockwise circle, centred at z = 0, of radius three, |z| = 3
b) the anticlockwise circle, centred at z = 0, of radius 1/2, |z| = 1/2
f(z) = 1/((z2 + 4)(z + 1))
∫Cdz f(z)
Homework Equations
∫Cdz f(z) = 2πi ∑ Res(f, zi) (zi inside the contour C)
The Attempt at a Solution
I have found the poles and hence the residues:
z = 2i, -2i, -1
and the corresponding residues (respectively): -1/10 - i/20, -1/10 + i/20, 1/5
I'm fairly comfortable with these, however when computing the contour integrals using Cauchy's theorem I got that in a), all the poles lie in the contour and the sum of the residues = 0, so the contour integral = 0. But then with b), I found that because none of the poles lie in this circle of radius 1/2 (on the complex plane) then the contour integral also equals zero?
I think I must have done something wrong as I wouldn't expected an assignment to have 2 zero answers!
Thanks for any help.