Mathematics – II

(MATH F112)
BITS Pilani Dr. Amit Setia (Assistant Professor)
Department of Mathematics
K K Birla Goa Campus
Arc and Simple arc
A set of points z  ( x, y ) in the complex plane
is called an arc
C: z  t   x  t   iy  t  , ( a  t  b)
where x(t ) and y (t ) are continuous functions of t.
e.g . z  t   eit , (0  t   )

The arc C is a simple arc, or a Jordan arc,

if it does not cross itself i.e. t1  t2  z  t1   z  t2  .
e.g . z  t   eit , (0  t   ) is simple arc
but z  t   eit , (0  t  3 ) is not simple arc.
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Simple closed curve and
positive orientation of curve
The arc C
C: z  t   x  t   iy  t  , ( a  t  b)
is a simple closed curve or a Jordan curve,
if it does not cross itself i.e. t1  t2  z  t1   z  t2  
except z(b) = z(a),
then C is called a simple closed curve.
Such a curve is positively oriented,
when it is in the counterclockwise direction.

e.g. z  t   eit , (0  t  2 ) is a simple closed curve

as well as positively oriented.
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 Contours

An arc z  z (t ), (a  t  b) is called smooth arc

if z '(t ) is continuos on a  t  b & z '(t )  0 in a  t  b.

A contour  or piecewise smooth arc  is an arc

consisting of a finite number of smooth arcs joined end to end.

C is a contour, where C  C1  C2
C1 : z  t   t  it , 0  t  1,
C2 : z  t   t  i, 1  t  2,

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 Section-40
Contour Integral
Contour Integral

Let f ( z ) be piecewise continuous on the contour C , then

the contour integral of f on C is
f  z  t   z '  t  dt
b
C
f ( z )dz  
t a

where z  z (t ), a  t  b represents a contour C.

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 Properties of the contour integral

1)  z f ( z )dz  z  f ( z )dz
C 0 0 C

2)   f ( z )  g  z   dz   f ( z )dz   g ( z )dz
C C C

3)  f ( z )dz    f ( z )dz
C C

4)  f ( z )dz   f ( z )dz   f ( z )dz

C C1  C2 C1 C2

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Example

Evaluate

 e
 z
dz
C

where C is the boundary of the square

with vertices at the points 0, 1, 1  i, and i,
the orientation of C being in
the counterclockwise direction.

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 Solution

C  0,1 B 1,1

O  0, 0  A 1, 0 

C1 i .e. OA  
: z t  t, 0t 1


C 2 i .e. AB  
: z t  1  it, 0t 1


C 3 i .e. BC  
: z t  t  i , 1  t  0


C 4 i .e. CO  
: z t  i t , 1  t  0
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Here f  z    e , using f  z  t   z '  t  dt
b
 f ( z )dz  
 z
C t a

f  z  dz      
1

t 
 e 1 dt  e 1
C1 t 0


f  z  dz    1i t 
  
1


e i dt  2e
C2 t 0

 f  z  dz    e   
0    t i  
1 dt  e 1
C3 t 1

f  z  dz      i  dt  2
0

 ti
 e
C4 t 1

 f  z  dz
C C1  C2  C3  C4

  f  z  dz   f  z  dz   f  z  dz   f  z  dz
C1 C2 C3 C4


 4 e  1  BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Example

Evaluate


C

y  x  i3x 2 dz
along the curves C1 & C2 ,
where C1 is the contour from O to B via A and
C2 is the contour from O to B as shown in figure.

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 Solution

here f  z   y  x  i 3x 2

f  z  t   z '  t  dt
b
using C
f ( z )dz  
t a

and using the parametrization of OA, AB, OB, we get

i 1 i
C1 f  z  dz  OA f  z  dz  AB f  z  dz  2  2  i  1  2
 f  z  dz   f  z  dz  1  i
C2 OB

Remark :
In general, a contour integral depends on
paths between 2 fixed end points.
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 Example

Evaluate

 f  z  dz
C

where
f  z   z,
C is an arbitrary contour from
any fixed point z1 to any fixed point z2 in the z plane.

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Solution

let z  a   z1 , z  b   z2 &
z  z (t ), a  t  b represents a contour C ,
and let f  z   z

f  z  t   z '  t  dt
b
C
f ( z )dz  
t a

  z  t  z '  t  dt
b

t a
b
b d
  z  t  
2
   z  t   2
 z  b     z  a 
2 2
z 2
 z 2
   dt      2 1
t  a dt  2   2  2 2
   t  a
Remark :
Here the contour integral is independent of
paths between 2 fixed end points z1 and z 2 , why ?
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