Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-metric-spaces-and-complex-analysis-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/4/a/ii/solution

Use the generalized binomial theorem with exponent , choosing the analytic branch of a square root that equals at . For ,
The signs cancel in each binomial coefficient. For ,
The same expression equals for , using the empty-product convention. Consequently the power series is
Its coefficients are the normalized central binomial coefficients. As a convergence check, the ratio of successive absolute terms tends to , so the ratio test gives absolute convergence inside the unit disc. Applying the Cauchy coefficient formula to the holomorphic function now immediately yields
This value is independent of the chosen radius because the contour integral extracts the same coefficient on every such circle.

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