Exegesis. Rewrite mean value property [rmsf-1301][edit]

$\gdef\d{\operatorname{d}}$ $\gdef\spaces#1{~ #1 ~}$

There is a way to make this formula nicer. Namely, if we send $w$ around at uniform speed counterclockwise, then we see the following formula

$$ \frac{\d w}{w - z} \spaces= \frac{i \cdot |\d w|}{r} $$

The $i$ comes from the fact that $\d w$ is perpendicular to $w-z$: the tangent to circle is perpendicular to line emanating from the center of circle. Substituting this in to the integral, we find

$$ f(z) \spaces= \frac{1}{2\pi i} \int_{\partial \overline D(z,r)} \frac{f(w)}{w - z} \d w $$

Here it should be implicit that we’re supposed to move around $\partial \overline D(z,r)$ in a counterclockwise direction.

This formula is nicer: one reason is that in fact it is valid with $z$ replaced by any point inside the disk $D(z,r)$. That’s the Cauchy integral formula.