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Module

for

Complex Limits and Continuity

2.3 Limits and Continuity

We have studied linear functions and power functions in Section 2.1 and Section 2.2, respectively. Now let u = u(x,y) be a real-valued function of the two real variables x and y. Recall that u has the limit as
approaches provided that the value of can be made to get as close as we please to the value by taking to be sufficiently close to . When this happens we write

In more technical language, u has the limit as (x,y) approaches iff can be made arbitrarily small by making both and small. This condition is like the definition of a limit for
functions of one variable. The point is in the xy plane, and the distance between and is . With this perspective we can now give a precise definition of a limit.

Definition 2.3 ( limit of u(x,y) ). The expression means that for each number , there corresponds a number such that

(2-15) whenever .

Example 2.14. Show, if , then .

Solution. If , and then

Because and because , we have

whenever .

Hence, for any , Inequality (2-15) is satisfied for ; that is, has the limit as approaches .

Explore Solution 2.14.

The value of the limit must not depend on how (x,y) approaches , so must approach the value when approaches along any curve that ends at the point . Conversely, if we can find
two curves that end at along which approaches the two distinct values , respectively, then does not have a limit as approaches .

Example 2.15. Show that the function does not have a limit as (x,y) approaches .

Solution. If we let (x,y) approach (0,0) along the x axis, then

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But if we let (x,y) approach (0,0) along the line , then

Because the value of the limit differs depending on how (x,y) approaches (0,0), we conclude that does not have a limit as approaches .

Explore Solution 2.15.

Let f(z) be a complex function of the complex variable z that is defined for all values of z in some neighborhood of , except perhaps at the point . We say that f has the limit as z approaches provided that the
value f(z) can be made as close as we please to the value by taking z to be sufficiently close to . When this happens we write

The distance between the points z and can be expressed by , so we can give a precise definition similar to the one for a function of two variables.

Definition 2.4 ( limit of f(z) ). The expression means that for each number , there exists a real number such that

whenever .

Using Equations (1-49) and (1-51), we can also express the last relationship as

whenever .

The formulation of limits in terms of open disks provides a good context for looking at this definition. It says that for each disk of radius about the point (represented by ) there is a punctured disk of radius
about the point (represented by ) such that the image of each point in the punctured -disk lies in the -disk. The image of the -disk does not have to fill up the entire -disk; but if z approaches along a curve that
ends at , then w=f(z) approaches . The situation is illustrated in Figure 2.17.

Figure 2.17 The limit as .

Example 2.16. Show that if , then , where is any complex number.

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Solution. As f merely reflects points about the y axis, we suspect that any -disk about the point would contain the image of the punctured -disk about if . To confirm this conjecture, we let be any positive
number and set . Then we suppose that , which means that . The modulus of a conjugate is the same as the modulus of the number itself, so the last inequality implies that
. This is the same as . Since and , this is the same as , which in turn is the same as , which is what we needed to show.

Explore Solution 2.16.

If we consider w=f(z) as a mapping from the z plane into the w plane and think about the previous geometric interpretation of a limit, then we are led to conclude that the limit of a function f should be determined by the limits
of its real and imaginary parts, u and v. This conclusion also gives us a tool for computing limits.

Theorem 2.1. Let be a complex function that is defined in some neighborhood of , except perhaps at . Then

Proof.

Proof of Theorem 2.1 is in the book.

Complex Analysis for Mathematics and Engineering

Example 2.17. Show that .

Solution. We have

Computing the limits for u and v, we obtain

, and

so our previous theorem implies that .

Explore Solution 2.17.

Limits of complex functions are formally the same as those of real functions, and the sum, difference, product, and quotient of functions have limits given by the sum, difference, product, and quotient of the respective limits. We
state this result as a theorem and leave the proof as an exercise.

Theorem 2.2. Suppose that and . Then

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Proof.

Definition 2.5 ( continuity of u(x,y) ). Let u(x,y) be a real-valued function of the two real variables x and y. We say that u is continuous at the point if the three conditions are satisfied:

Condition (2-23) actually implies Conditions (2-21) and (2-22) because the existence of the quantity on each side of Equation (2-23) is implicitly understood to exist. For example, if when and
if , then so that Conditions (2-21) , (2-22) , and (2-23) are satisfied. Hence is continuous at .

There is a similar definition for complex valued functions.

Definition 2.6 ( continuity of f(z) ). Let f(z) be a complex function of the complex variable z that is defined for all values of z in some neighborhood of . We say that f is continuous at if three conditions are satisfied:

exists,

Remark 2.3. Example 2.16 shows that the function , is continuous.

A complex function f is continuous iff its real and imaginary parts, u and v, are continuous. The proof of this fact is an immediate consequence of Theorem 2.1. Continuity of complex functions is formally the same as that of
real functions, and sums, differences, and products of continuous functions are continuous; their quotient is continuous at points where the denominator is not zero. These results are summarized by the following theorems. We
leave the proofs as exercises.

Theorem 2.3. Let be a defined in some neighborhood of . Then is continuous at iff and are continuous at .

Proof.

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Theorem 2.4. Suppose that and are continuous at the point . Then the following functions are continuous at .

The sum ,

The difference ,

The product ,

The quotient , provided that .

The composition , provided that is continuous in a neighborhood of the point .

Proof.

Example 2.18. Show that the polynomial function given by

is continuous at each point in the complex plane.

Solution. If is the constant function, then ; and if , then we can use Definition 2.3 with and the choice to prove that . Using Property (2-19) and
mathematical induction, we obtain

(2-27) , for .

We can extend Property (2-18) to a finite sum of terms and use the result of Equation (2-27) to get

Conditions (2-24), (2-25), and (2-26) are satisfied, so we conclude that P is continuous at .

Explore Solution 2.18.

Extra Example 1. Show that the polynomial is continuous at the point in the complex plane.

Explore Extra Example 1.

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Figure 2.A The mapping where .

Extra Example 2. Show that the polynomial is continuous at the point in the complex plane.

Explore Extra Example 2.

Extra Example 3. Show that the polynomial is continuous at the point in the complex plane.

Explore Extra Example 3.

One technique for computing limits is to apply Theorem 2.4 to quotients. If we let P and Q be polynomials and if , then

Another technique, involves factoring polynomials. If both and , then P and Q can be factored as
and . If , then the limit is

Example 2.19. Show that .

Solution. Here P and Q can be factored in the form

so that the limit is obtained by the calculation

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Explore Solution 2.19.

Exercises for Section 2.3. Limits and Continuity

Library Research Experience for Undergraduates

Graphics for Complex Functions

Mobius - Bilinear Transformation

Riemann Sphere

Poincare Disk Model

The Next Module is

Branches of Complex Functions

Return to the Complex Analysis Modules

Return to the Complex Analysis Project

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This material is coordinated with our book Complex Analysis for Mathematics and Engineering.

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(c) 2012 John H. Mathews, Russell W. Howell

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