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mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
, a principal branch is a function which selects one
branch A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term '' twig'' usuall ...
("slice") of a multi-valued function. Most often, this applies to functions defined on the complex plane.


Examples


Trigonometric inverses

Principal branches are used in the definition of many inverse trigonometric functions, such as the selection either to define that :\arcsin:
1,+1 Onekama ( ) is a village in Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 411 at the 2010 census. The village is located on the shores of Portage Lake and is surrounded by Onekama Township. The town's name is derived from "On ...
rightarrow\left \frac,\frac\right/math> or that :\arccos:
1,+1 Onekama ( ) is a village in Manistee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 411 at the 2010 census. The village is located on the shores of Portage Lake and is surrounded by Onekama Township. The town's name is derived from "On ...
rightarrow ,\pi/math>.


Exponentiation to fractional powers

A more familiar principal branch function, limited to real numbers, is that of a positive real number raised to the power of . For example, take the relation , where is any positive real number. This relation can be satisfied by any value of equal to a
square root In mathematics, a square root of a number is a number such that ; in other words, a number whose '' square'' (the result of multiplying the number by itself, or  ⋅ ) is . For example, 4 and −4 are square roots of 16, because . ...
of (either positive or negative). By convention, is used to denote the positive square root of . In this instance, the positive square root function is taken as the principal branch of the multi-valued relation .


Complex logarithms

One way to view a principal branch is to look specifically at the
exponential function The exponential function is a mathematical function denoted by f(x)=\exp(x) or e^x (where the argument is written as an exponent). Unless otherwise specified, the term generally refers to the positive-valued function of a real variable, ...
, and the
logarithm In mathematics, the logarithm is the inverse function to exponentiation. That means the logarithm of a number  to the base  is the exponent to which must be raised, to produce . For example, since , the ''logarithm base'' 10 ...
, as it is defined in complex analysis. The exponential function is single-valued, where is defined as: :e^z = e^a \cos b + i e^a \sin b where z = a + i b. However, the periodic nature of the trigonometric functions involved makes it clear that the logarithm is not so uniquely determined. One way to see this is to look at the following: :\operatorname (\log z) = \log \sqrt and :\operatorname (\log z) = \operatorname(b, a) + 2 \pi k where is any integer and continues the values of the -function from their principal value range (-\pi/2,\; \pi/2], corresponding to a > 0 into the principal value range of the -function (-\pi,\; \pi], covering all four quadrants in the complex plane. Any number defined by such criteria has the property that . In this manner log function is a multi-valued function (often referred to as a "multifunction" in the context of complex analysis). A branch cut, usually along the negative real axis, can limit the imaginary part so it lies between and . These are the chosen principal values. This is the principal branch of the log function. Often it is defined using a capital letter, .


See also

*
Branch point In the mathematical field of complex analysis, a branch point of a multi-valued function (usually referred to as a "multifunction" in the context of complex analysis) is a point such that if the function is n-valued (has n values) at that point, ...
* Branch cut * Complex logarithm * Riemann surface


External links

* {{MathWorld , urlname= PrincipalBranch , title= Principal Branch
Branches of Complex Functions Module by John H. Mathews
Complex analysis