Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-metric-spaces-and-complex-analysis-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/4/a/ii/solution
Past exam of the metric spaces and complex analysis course of the University of Oxford 2015 4 a ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-31
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 isIts 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 yieldsThis value is independent of the chosen radius because the contour integral extracts the same coefficient on every such circle.
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