Complex Exponential

Expressing simple harmonic motion in complex exponential form

considerably simplifies many operations, particularly the solution of
differential equations. It is based on Euler's equation, which is usually
written as:
eiθ=cosθ+isinθ
where e is the well-known constant, θ an angle in radians and i is √-1.
Multiplying through by X and substituting ωt for θ:
Xeiωt=Xcosωt+iXsinωt
When plotted on an Argand diagram (where real values are plotted
horizontally, and imaginary values vertically) as shown in Fig. 1, this can
be regarded as a vector, of length X, rotating counter-clockwise at a rate
of ω rad/s. The projection on the real, or x axis, is Xcosωt and the
projection on the imaginary axis, is iXsinωt. This gives an alternate way of
writing X cos ωt and X sin ωt, since

Fig. 1. Rotating vectors on an Argand diagram.

Xsinωt=Im(Xeiωt)
where Im () is understood to mean ‘the imaginary part of ()’, and
Xcosωt=Re(Xeiωt)
where Re () is understood to mean ‘the real part of ()’.