A complex number z can be written in two ways:

• Cartesian form z = a + bi. Here a is called the real part of z and b is called the imaginary part of z. We
often write a = Re(z) and b = Im(z).

– Two complex numbers are equal if and only if both their real and imaginary parts are equal.
– The conjugate of z = a + bi is denoted by z̄ = a bi. Some properties of the conjugate are:
⇤ z + w = z̄ + w̄ and zw = z̄ w̄
⇤ z + z̄ = 2Re(z) and z z̄ = 2Im(z).

• Polar form z = r(cos ✓ + i sin ✓). Here r is called the modulus of z, and it denotes the distance of z from
the origin. ✓ is called the argument of z, and it denotes the angle which z makes with the positive x-axis.
We often write r = |z| and ✓ = arg(z).

– Sometimes instead of writing z = r(cos ✓ + i sin ✓), we write z = rei✓ , which means the same thing.
– Properties of the modulus and argument:
⇤ |zw| = |z||w| and arg(zw) = arg(z) + arg(w)
z |z| z
⇤ w
= |w|
and arg w
= arg(z) arg(w)
⇤ |z + w|  |z| + |w| (Triangle Inequality)

• You need to know how to go from Cartesian form to polar form and vice versa.

De Moivre’s Theorem. For integer values of n,

[r(cos ✓ + i sin ✓)]n = rn (cos n✓ + i sin n✓)

The equation z n = r(cos ✓ + i sin ✓) has n solutions:

✓ ◆
1 ✓ + 2k⇡ ✓ + 2k⇡
zk = r n cos + i sin , k = 0, 1, . . . , n 1.
n n

Note that in the special case of solving z n = 1, the solutions (called the “n-th roots of unity”) all lie on the unit
circle, and are equally spaced apart.
Tutorial Questions
1 3 4 3
1. (a) 7 4i (b) 25 + 5i (c) 10 10
i (d) 5 5
i
p p
2. (a) 2 2 cos 7⇡
4
+ i sin 7⇡
4
(b) 2p32 cos 3⇡
4
+ i sin 3⇡
4
(c) 4 cos 4⇡
3
+ i sin 4⇡
3
⇡ ⇡
(d) 3 cos 2
+ i sin 2
(e) 4(cos ⇡ + i sin ⇡)
p
3
p
3. (a) 2
+ 32 i (b) 3 i (c) 1 i

4. (a) Circle of radius 1, centered at the origin (b) The line y = x in the first quadrant (c) The right half
of the complex plane, excluding the vertical axis (d) Circle of radius 2, centered at i i.e. the point (0,1)
in the xy-plane (e) The line y = x
p p p p
5. (a) 4 cos( 3⇡
2
) + i sin( 3⇡
2
) (b) Solutions are 2 2i and 2 + 2i

6. z = ±23/4 cos 7⇡
8
+ i sin 7⇡
8

7. (a) z 2 2z + 2 (b) Roots are 1 + i and 1 i

8. Circle of radius 4, centered at ( 5, 0)

Additional Questions
19 9
p
1. (a) 25 24i (b) 3 + 5i (c) 1 + 21i (d) 13 13
i (e) 34 (f) 16 30i (g) 5 + 3i (h) 34
(i) 34 (j) 21
85
+ 18
85
i
2 3
2. (a) 2 9i (b) 8 + 6i (c) 13
+ 13
i (d) i

3. Solutions are z = 1 + 2i and z = 1 2i

4. Roots are p3 (1 + i), p3 ( 1 + i), p3 ( 1 i) and p3 (1 i)

2 2 2 2

5. Roots of the polynomial are 1, 1 + i and 1 i

6. (a) z = 1, i, 1, i (b) Solutions are 12 , 1

, 1
1+i 1 i
(c) Same as answer to b

Challenge Questions
3
1. The other two zeros are 2
and 1 2i

2. Proof
p p p p
1 3 3 3 3 3 3
3. (a) 1, 2
+ 2
i, 12 i 2
(b) 2i, 14
+ i
14
, 14
+ i
14
p p
4. Solutions are 1+2 3 (1 + i) and 1
2
3
(1 i)

5. (a) cos 7✓ = 7 cos ✓ sin6 ✓ + 35 cos3 ✓ sin4 ✓ 21 cos5 ✓ sin2 ✓ + cos7 ✓

sin 7✓ = sin7 ✓ + 21 cos2 ✓ sin5 ✓ 35 cos4 ✓ sin3 ✓ + 7 cos6 sin ✓
tan7 ✓+21 tan5 ✓ 35 tan3 ✓+7 tan ✓
(b) tan 7✓ = 7 tan6 ✓+35 tan4 ✓ 21 tan2 ✓+1
(c) x7 7x6 5
21x + 35x + 35x 4 3 2
21x 7x + 1 = 0

6. (a). By De Moivre’s Theorem, z 5 = 1. By the binomial theorem, z 5 = i sin5 ⇡

+ 5 cos ⇡5 sin4 ⇡
q p 5 5

10i cos2 ⇡
5
sin3 ⇡
5
10 cos3 ⇡
5
sin2 ⇡
5
+ 5i cos 5 sin 5 + cos 5 (b). sin 5 = 5 8 5
4 ⇡ ⇡ 5 ⇡ ⇡

1 2 y2
7. The graph is a hyperbola, for which the equation is 4(x 2
) 2
=1