MethodMath
Abdessamad
May 16, 2026

What is an analytic function and how is it different from a differentiable complex function?

In complex analysis, the terms "analytic" and "holomorphic" are often used interchangeably, but I want to understand the nuances.

A function f:CCf: \mathbb{C} \to \mathbb{C} is complex-differentiable at z0z_0 if:

f(z0)=limh0f(z0+h)f(z0)hf'(z_0) = \lim_{h \to 0} \frac{f(z_0 + h) - f(z_0)}{h}

exists and is independent of the direction from which h0h \to 0.

This leads to the Cauchy-Riemann equations:

ux=vy,uy=vx\frac{\partial u}{\partial x} = \frac{\partial v}{\partial y}, \quad \frac{\partial u}{\partial y} = -\frac{\partial v}{\partial x}

How does complex differentiability imply analyticity (power series expansion)? And why is this so different from real differentiability?

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