Course Catalogue

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This course gives a rigorous treatment of functions of one complex variable focusing on the properties of holomorphic and meromorphic functions, and on conformal mappings.

17 x 1 hr lectures and 6 x 1 hr tutorials in a semester

Mandatory Entry Requirements

3H Analysis of Differentiation and Integration (MATHS4073)

3H Methods in Complex Analysis (MATHS4076) 

3H Metric Spaces and Basic Topology (MATHS4077)

Recommended Entry Requirements

4H: Further Complex Analysis (MATHS4104)

Assessment

90% Examination, 10% Coursework.

Reassessment

MSc students will have a resit opportunity

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The course aims to justify the methods developed in the earlier course methods of complex analysis. It will also provide rigorous development of further properties of holomorphic and meromorphic functions and it will end with a study of conformal mappings.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

a) Prove Cauchy's theorem for a simply connected domain, establish standard consequences of Cauchy's theorem and apply these results to problems;

b) Classify the nature of a singularity of a meromorphic function, establish the residue formula, prove the Casorarti-Weierstrass theorem and apply these results to problems;

c) State and prove the principle of the argument, use the principle of the argument to prove Rouche's theorem, use Rouche's theorem to estimate the location of zeros of holomorphic functions, prove the open mapping theorem and maximum modulus principle, apply these results to problems;

d) Define the notion of uniform convergence on compact subsets and equicontinuous and normal families; determine whether given sequences converge uniformly on compact subsets; determine whether given families are normal or equicontinuous; Prove a sequence of holomorphic functions which converges uniformly on compact subsets has a holomorphic limit;

e) Define an infinite product and give product formulas for standard mathematical functions, use infinite products to construct all entire functions with specified zero sets;

f) Define the notion of a conformal mapping and conformal equivalence; construct explicit conformal equivalences between specified complex regions; Use these conformal mappings to solve problems such as the Dirichlet problem in appropriate domains;

g) State and prove Schwarz's lemma, determine all automorphisms of the disk and upper half plane, be able to construct automorphisms with specified behaviour. State and outline the proof of the Riemann mapping theorem.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.