Math 410/610 - hw 1 solutions Chap I: 2.3, 4.2, 5.2, 8.1a, 8.2a, 9.1, 10.1, 10.3*, 11.1, 11.

3*
Thursday, 6 Sept 2012

In exercises I.10.3 and I.11.3 below, we adopt the notational convention eiθ = cos θ + i sin θ (we will discuss the use of
elementary functions in complex analysis in detail later in the course). Using this notation de Moivre’s formula is simply
einθ = (eiθ )n and the multiplication of two numbers of this form gives eiθ1 eiθ2 = ei(θ1 +θ2 ) .
I.2.3: Note that multiplication by c = (a, b) ∈ C yields a linear transformation of C regarded as a vector space over R.
Since Tc (1, 0) = (a, b) · (1, 0) = (a, b) and Tc (1, 0) =

(a, b)(0, 1) = (−b, a), the matrix Mc of the transformation Tc
with respect to the basis is given by Mc = ab −b a
. We now check that the map c 7→ Mc preserves addition and
multiplication. Let c = (a, b), z = (x, y) ∈ C be given. Then c + z = (a + x, b + y) and cz = (ax − by, ay + bx) and
we have
     
a −b x −y a + x −b − y
Mc + Mz = + = = Mc+z ,
b a y x b+y a+x
    
a −b x −y ax − by −ay − bx
M c Mz = = = Mcz .
b a y x ay + bx ax − by
Hence, the map preserves addition and multiplication 

I.4.2: Let z1 and z2 be nonzero complex numbers. Suppose first that z1 and z2 are positive multiples of each other.
Then z1 = rz2 for some positive number r. Then z1 z2 = rz2 z2 = r|z2 |2 . Hence, z1 z2 may be expressed as a
product of positive numbers and must thus be positive itself. Conversely, suppose that z1 z2 is positive. Then
z2 z2 z1 z2
z1 = z1 = z2 = rz2
z2 z2 |z2 |2
where r = (z1 z2 )|z2 |−2 . Since r is positive, z1 is a positive multiple of z2 (and conversely). 

I.5.2: Let z1 and z2 be complex numbers. Then since z1 = (z1 − z2 ) + z2 , we have by the triangle inequality
|z1 | = |(z1 − z2 ) + z2 | ≤ |z1 − z2 | + |z2 |.
Hence, |z1 − z2 | ≥ |z1 | − |z2 |. Equality holds if either of the two numbers, z1 − z2 , z2 is zero or a positive multiple
of the other. 

I.8.1a: We show that D = {z | |z| < 1} is open. Let z0 ∈ D be given; we must show that D contains all points sufficiently
close to z0 . Since |z0 | < 1, we have 1 − |z0 | > 0. Now let z be a complex number such that |z − z0 | < 1 − |z0 |.
Then since z = (z − z0 ) + z0 we have by the triangle inequality
|z| ≤ |z − z0 | + |z0 | < 1 − |z0 | + |z0 | = 1.
Thus, z ∈ D and so D is open. 

I.8.2a: Let f (z)= z 2 . We

show that f is continuous at every point in C. Let z0 ∈ C be given and fix ε > 0. Let
δ = min 1, 2|z0ε|+1 and let z be a complex number such that |z − z0 | < δ. Then
|z + z0 | ≤ |z| + |z0 | ≤ |z − z0 | + |z0 | + |z0 | ≤ |z − z0 | + 2|z0 | < 2|z0 | + 1
and so
ε
|f (z) − f (z0 )| = |z 2 − z02 | = |z + z0 ||z − z0 | ≤ (2|z0 | + 1)|z − z0 | < (2|z0 | + 1) = ε.
2|z0 | + 1
Hence, f is continuous and since z0 was chosen arbitrarily, f is continous. 

I.9.1: Let z be a nonzero complex number. Since zz is positive we have 0 = arg zz = arg z + arg z. Thus arg z = − arg z.
Note that (zz)−1 is also positive and thus
arg z −1 = arg(z(zz)−1 ) = arg z + arg (zz)−1 = arg z + 0 = arg z.
Hence, arg z −1 = arg z = − arg z. 

I.10.1: We use de Moivre’s formula and the binomial theorem for n = 5 to express cos 5θ and sin 5θ as polynomials of
cos θ and sin θ.
cos 5θ + i sin 5θ = (cos θ + i sin θ)5
= cos5 θ + 5 cos4 θ i sin θ + 10 cos3 θ i2 sin2 θ + 10 cos2 θ i3 sin3 θ + 5 cos θ i4 sin4 θ + i5 sin5 θ
= cos5 θ − 10 cos3 θ sin2 θ + 5 cos θ sin4 θ + i 5 cos4 θ sin θ − 10 cos2 θ sin3 θ + sin5 θ

Equating real and imaginary parts we get:

cos 5θ = cos5 θ − 10 cos3 θ sin2 θ + 5 cos θ sin4 θ
sin 5θ = 5 cos4 θ sin θ − 10 cos2 θ sin3 θ + sin5 θ.
 
Pn n+1
z −1
I.10.3*: We use the identity i=0 zn = z−1 if z 6= 1 applied to z = eiθ = cos θ + i sin θ. Then we have
n 1
X ei(n+1)θ − 1 ei(n+1)θ − 1 e−iθ/2 ei(n+ 2 )θ − e−iθ/2
einθ = = · −iθ/2 =
i=0
iθ
e −1 iθ
e −1 e eiθ/2 − e−iθ/2
cos(n + 12 )θ + i sin(n + 21 )θ − (cos θ2 − i sin θ2 )
=
2i sin θ2
1 sin(n + 12 )θ cos θ2 − cos(n + 12 )θ
= + + i
2 2 sin θ2 2 sin θ2
Equating real and imaginary parts we get:
1 sin(n + 12 )θ
1 + cos θ + cos 2θ + · · · + cos nθ = +
2 2 sin θ2
cos θ2 − cos(n + 21 )θ
sin θ + sin 2θ + · · · + sin nθ =
2 sin θ2
1
Subtracting 2 from both sides of the first equation yields the desired identities. 
π
I.11.1: Note that arg i = and |i| = 1 so in polar form we have i = cos π2 + i sin π2 . The cube roots of i are given by the
2
formula π  π 
2 + 2πk 2 + 2πk
cos + i sin for k = 0, 1, 2.
3 3
Thus the three cube roots are
√
π π 3 i
cos + i sin = + ,
6 6 2√ 2
5π 5π 3 i
cos + i sin =− + ,
6 6 2 2
3π 3π
cos + i sin = −i.
2 2


I.11.3*: Let ξ = cos 2π 2π

n + i sin n = e
2πi/n
. Then since arg 1 = 0, the nth roots of unity (i.e. 1) are given by ξ k for
k = 0, 1, . . . , n − 1. Note that ξ k = 1 if and only if n | k.
We first prove that ζ = ξ k is a primitive root of unity (i.e. ζ m 6= 1 for all m = 1, . . . , n − 1) if and only if k
and n are relatively prime, that is, gcd(k, n) = 1 (this means that k and n have no common factor other than 1).
Suppose first that k and n are not relatively prime, that is, gcd(k, n) = d > 1. Then k = jd and n = md for some
positive integers j and m. Then
ζ m = ξ km = ξ jmd = ξ nj = 1
Since m < n, ζ is not a primitive root. Conversely, suppose that ζ is not a primitive root of unity. Then
ζ m = ξ km = 1 for some positive integer m < n. Hence n | km. If gcd(k, n) = 1, then n | m, but this would imply
m ≥ n which is impossible. Hence, gcd(k, n) 6= 1. Therefore, ζ = ξ k is a primitive root if and only if gcd(k, n) = 1.
Therefore, the number of primitive nth roots of unity is the same as the number of positive integers less than and
relatively prime to n.
Next let ζ = ξ k be a primitive root of unity. To prove that every root of unity is of the form ζ j for some
j = 0, 1, . . . , n − 1, it suffices, by the pigeonhole principal, to show that ζ i 6= ζ j for all 0 ≤ i < j < n. But this
follows easily from the fact that ζ j−i 6= 1 for all 0 ≤ i < j < n.