Lecture 8: Complex integral

1 Integrals of Functions w(t)

Let w(t) be a complex function of a real variable t and written as
w(t) = u(t) + iv(t) (1.1)
where u, v are real valued functions. The integral of w(t) over an interval a ≤ t ≤ b is
defined as Z b Z b Z b
w(t)dt = u(t)dt + i v(t)dt (1.2)
a a a
provided that the integrals on the right exit.
R1
Example 1. Find 0
(1 + it)2 dt
Sol:
Z 1 Z 1
2
(1 + it) dt = (1 + 2it − t2 )dt
0
Z0 1 Z 1
2
= (1 − t )dt + i 2tdt
0 0
1 1
= [t − 31 t3 + i[t2 0
0
1 2
= [1 − − [0]] + i[1 − 0] = + i
3 3
Rπ
Example 2. Find 0
4
eit dt
Sol:
Z π
4 1 π 1 π 1
eit dt = eit 4
0
= ei 4 −
0 i i i
1 1 i
= [ √ + √ − 1]
i 2 2
1 1+i
= [ √ − 1]
i 2
Example 3. Evaluate the following integrals:
R2 Rπ R∞
i. 1 ( 1t − i)dt ii. 06 e2it dt iii. 0 e−zt dt
√
3
Sol: i. − 21 − i ln 4 ii. 4
+ 41 i iii. 1
z

1.1 Even and Odd Functions

Let w(t) = u(t) + iv(t) denote a continuous complex valued function defined on the
interval a ≤ t ≤ b. Suppose that w(t) is even that is w(t) = w(−t) for each point t in the
 Figure 1

given interval then Z a Z a

w(t)dt = 2 w(t)dt (1.3)
−a 0

also for w(t) an odd function, that is w(t) = −w(−t) for each point in the given interval,
then Z a
w(t)dt = 0 (1.4)
−a

2 Contours
Integrals of complex valued functions of a complex variable are defined on curves in a
complex plane, rather than on just intervals a real line.
A set of points z = (x, y) in the complex plane is said to be an arc if:

x = x(t), y = y(t), (a ≤ t ≤ b) (2.1)

x(t), y(t) are continuous functions of the real parameter t. This definition describes a
continuous line between a and b into the xy, or z plane; these points are described by
means of the equation
z = z(t), (a ≤ t ≤ b) (2.2)
where z(t) = x(t) + iy(t).
Example 4. (
x + ix 0 ≤ x ≤ 1
z=
x+i 1≤x≤2
This is represented in figure 1 and it is called a simple arc
Example 5.
z = eiθ (0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π)

this represents a unit circle centered at the origin. It is oriented clockwise, and it is called
a simple closed curve.

z = z0 + Reiθ (0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π)

2
represents a circle with radius R centered at the point z0 .
Example 6.
z = e−iθ (0 ≤ θ ≤ 2π)
the set of points here is traversed clock-wise direction.

3 Contour Integral
In the first part we worked on the integral of the complex function which has a real
variable t. Now we turn to integrating complex functions of a complex variable. Such
an integral is found by evaluating f (z) a long a given contour C, that extends in the
complex plane between points z1 and z2 . Since the complex numbers are defined on
planes, therefore, it is a line integral and it is written as
Z Z z2
f (z)dz or f (z)dz, (3.1)
C z1

and its value depends, in general, on the contour C as well as the function f .
Suppose that the equation
z = z(t) (a ≤ t ≤ b) (3.2)
represents a contour C, extends from z1 = z(a) to z2 = z(b), we assume that f [z(t)] is
piecewise continuous on the interval a ≤ t ≤ b and refer to the function f (z) as being
piecewise continuous on C. Then we define the contour integral 3.1, a long C in terms of
the parameter t. From equation 3.2, dz
dt
= z 0 (t) ⇒ dz = z 0 (t)dt, then the contour integral
becomes Z b
f [z(t)]z 0 (t)dt (3.3)
a

3.1 Some of the Contour Integral Properties

Suppose that f (z) and g(z) are integrable a long a contour C. Then the following hold:
R   R R
a. C f (z) ± g(z) dz = C f (z)dz ± C g(z)dz
R R
b. C Af (z)dz = A C f (z)dz, where A= any complex constant.
Rb Ra
c. a f (z)dz = − b f (z)dz
Rb Rm Rb
d. a f (z)dz = a f (z)dz + m f (z)dz, where a,b, and m are points on C.
e. If C1 , C2 represents curves (contours) from z1 to z2 and z2 to z3 respectively, the
resulting contour is
Z Z Z
C = C1 + C2 ⇒ f (z)dz = f (z)dz + f (z)dz
C C1 C2

3
 f. If C is a contour and −C denotes the same set of points on C but the order of these
points is reversed then Z Z
f (z)dz = − f (z)dz
−C C

Example 7. Evaluate the contour integral

Z
dz
C1 z
where C1 is the top half of the unit circle

z(θ) = eiθ (0 ≤ θ ≤ π)

the circle has a radius of 1 and hence z starts at 1 and ends at -1. Note that here the
integral is parameterized by θ, it is a common case for circle to use θ instead of t. The
integral becomes Z π Z θ
1 iθ π
iθ
ie dθ = i dθ = iθ 0 = iπ
0 e 0
Example 8. Evaluate the same integral in the last example for the contour C2 which is
the bottom half of the unit circle.
We use the parametric representation

z(θ) = eiθ (π ≤ θ ≤ 2π)

The integral starts 2π and ends at π, then

Z Z π
dz π
=i dθ = iθ 2π
= −iπ
C2 z 2π

Note that We can consider the second contour as a representation of the first contour
but with the set of points reversed, hence, we could use the property ”3.1” where
Z Z
f (z)dz = − f (z)dz
−C C

therefore, Z Z
f (z)dz = − f (z)dz = −iπ
C2 C1

Example 9. Find the integral Z

z̄dz,
C
where C is the right-hand half of a circle with radius of 2 centered at the origin.
First we parameterize in terms of θ,
π π
z(θ) = 2eiθ (− ≤θ≤ )
2 2
then
z(θ) = 2eiθ = 2e−iθ

4
and we find
dz
= 2ieθ ⇒ dz = 2ieıθ dθ
dθ
Our integral becomes
Z − π2 Z − π2 π
−iθ iθ
2e (2ie )dθ = 4i = 4i[θ 2
− π2
= 4πi
− π2 − π2

Home work

Evaluate Z
dz
,
C z
where C is the right hand half circle of radius 1 centered at the point z0 .