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2 votes
1 answer
359 views

Defining integrals by residue theorem

I have always been interested in alternative definitions of mathematical objects. I wonder if one can craft an useful definition of definite integral by using the Residue Theorem from complex analysis....
Penchez's user avatar
  • 341
17 votes
5 answers
3k views

Teaching prime number theorem in a complex analysis class for physicists

This is a question about pedagogy. I want to sketch the proof of the prime number theorem or any other application of complex analysis to number theory in a single lecture, in a complex analysis ...
guest17's user avatar
  • 253
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Examples of analytic functions to motivate a first course in complex variables

[Changed title as a plea to re-open the question.] If one is to motivate a course in complex variables, what specific analytic (holomorphic/meromorphic) function of one variable would you cite as an ...
11 votes
5 answers
4k views

Applications of Liouville's theorem

I'm looking for "nice" applications of Liouville's theorem (every bounded entire map is constant) outside the area of complex analysis. An example of what I'm not looking for : a non-constant entire ...
3 votes
3 answers
1k views

Pedagogical question concerning $\Gamma(z)$

Pedagogically speaking, I see two problems with defining $\Gamma(z)$ (at least for real $z$) by the limit $$\Gamma(z)=\lim_{m\to\infty}\frac{m! m^z}{\prod_{i=0}^m (z+i)}$$ as compared with the formula ...
David Feldman's user avatar
86 votes
44 answers
21k views

Demystifying complex numbers

At the end of this month I start teaching complex analysis to 2nd year undergraduates, mostly from engineering but some from science and maths. The main applications for them in future studies are ...