Relationship between two entire functions

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between two entire functions, f and g, under the condition that the modulus of f is less than or equal to the modulus of g for all complex numbers. Participants explore implications of this condition, referencing Liouville's theorem and the Maximum Modulus Principle.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that if |f(z)| ≤ |g(z)| for all z in ℂ, then f(z) can be expressed as f(z) = α g(z) for some complex constant α.
  • Others question how this relationship follows from Liouville's theorem, particularly in cases where g is non-constant.
  • A participant describes using the Maximum Modulus Principle to argue that if f and g attain their maximum modulus on the boundary of open balls, then g must be a multiple of f.
  • One participant introduces the function h(z) = f(z)/g(z) to analyze the boundedness of h and its implications for the zeros of f and g.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express uncertainty regarding the application of Liouville's theorem and the implications for non-constant functions. There is no consensus on the relationship between f and g, and multiple viewpoints remain regarding the interpretation of the conditions presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the dependence on the definitions of entire functions and the conditions under which the Maximum Modulus Principle applies. The discussion highlights unresolved mathematical steps in the reasoning process.

Bingk1
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Hello, this was another question on the exam which I wasn't sure about:

Let f and g be entire such that |f(z)| \leq |g(z)| \ \forall z \in \mathbb{C}. Find a relationship between f and g.

I'm kinda lost on this one...

Thanks!
 
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Bingk said:
Hello, this was another question on the exam which I wasn't sure about:

Let f and g be entire such that |f(z)| \leq |g(z)| \ \forall z \in \mathbb{C}. Find a relationship between f and g.

I'm kinda lost on this one...

Thanks!

A consequence of the Liouville's theorem is that if $\displaystyle |f(z)|\le |g(z)| \forall z \in \mathbb{C}$, then it must be $f(z)=\alpha\ g(z)$ for some complex $\alpha$...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$
 
Hi, that's actually what I got, but I'm pretty sure I got it the wrong way. I don't remember exactly what I did (the exam wasn't returned to us), but my method involved the Maximum Modulus Principle (sort of like applying Liouville's on open balls).

How exactly is that a consequence of Liouville's theorem?
I can see that for the case of g being constant, then f should be constant, so g will be a multiple of f. What about for when g is non-constant?

From what I can recall, what I think I did was I said that in an open ball, f and g attain their maximum modulus on the boundary and the modulus of g will be greater than that of f at that point in the boundary. This will happen for any open balls. So, if we consider two balls with the same center, and let the radius of one approach the other, and see what happens to the modulus of f and g at that boundary, it should turn out that g is a multiple of f. Is this sort of right?
 
Bingk said:
Hi, that's actually what I got, but I'm pretty sure I got it the wrong way. I don't remember exactly what I did (the exam wasn't returned to us), but my method involved the Maximum Modulus Principle (sort of like applying Liouville's on open balls).

How exactly is that a consequence of Liouville's theorem?
I can see that for the case of g being constant, then f should be constant, so g will be a multiple of f. What about for when g is non-constant?

From what I can recall, what I think I did was I said that in an open ball, f and g attain their maximum modulus on the boundary and the modulus of g will be greater than that of f at that point in the boundary. This will happen for any open balls. So, if we consider two balls with the same center, and let the radius of one approach the other, and see what happens to the modulus of f and g at that boundary, it should turn out that g is a multiple of f. Is this sort of right?

If You consider the function...

$\displaystyle h(z)=\frac{f(z)}{g(z)}$ (1)

... then, because is $\displaystyle |f(z)| \le |g(z)|$ h(*) is bounded. That means that all the zeroes of g(*) must be also zeroes of f(*) and h(*) is entire, so that h(*) for the Liouville's theorem must be a constant that we call $\alpha$...

Kind regards

$\chi$ $\sigma$
 
Thank you! I didn't think to consider the function h ... but it should've occurred to me.
 

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