Chapter nine

Complex numbers

If the imaginary unit i (where i2 = -1 ) is combine with two real

numbers  ,  by the processes of addition and multiplication,
we obtain a complex number   i . If   0 , the number is
said to be purely imaginary, if   0 it is of course real. Zero is
the only number which is at once real and imaginary.

Two complex numbers are equal if and only if they have the
same real part and the same imaginary part.
i.e.  1  i 1   2  i 2  1  2 and 1   2

Assuming that the ordinary rules of arithmetic apply to

complex numbers, we find indeed:-
1. (  1  i 1 )  (  2  i 2 )  (  1   2 )  i (  1   2 )
2. (  1  i 1 )(  2  i 2 )  (  1 2   1  2 )  i (  1  2   2  1 )
where i2 = -1
 1  i 1  2  i 2  1 2   1  2    1 2
3.    i 2 21
 2  i 2  2  i 2 2  2
2 2
 2  i 22

The real number  2  i 2 that is used as multiplier to clear the

i out of the denominator is called the complex conjugate of
 2  i 2 . It is customary to use z to denote the complex
conjugate of z, thus z    i and z    i .

We note that in has only four possible values 1 , i , -1 , -i .

They correspond to values of n which divided by 4 leave the
reminders 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 .

EX-1 – Find the values of :

2
5  2i 
1 ) (1  2i) 3
2) 3)  
 3  4i  3  2i 
Sol. –

١
 1 ) (1  2i)3  1  6 i  12 i 2  8 i 3  1  6 i  12  8 i  11  2 i

5  3  4i  15  20 i 3 4
2)    i
 3  4i  3  4i 9  16 5 5
2 2 2
 2  i 3  2i   6  7 i  2   4  7 i 
3)       
 3  2i 3  2i   9  4   13 
16  56 i  49 33 56
   i
169 169 169

EX-2- If z=x+iy where x and y are real, find the real and imaginary
parts of:-
1 z1 1
1 ) z4 2) 3) 4) 2
z z1 z
Sol.-

1 ) z 4  ( x  iy )4  x 4  4 x 3 ( iy )  6 x 2 ( iy )2  4 x ( iy )3  ( iy )4
 ( x 4  6 x 2 y 2  y 4 )  i ( 4 x 3 y  4 xy 3 )

1 1 x  iy x  iy x y
2)    2   i
z x  iy x  iy x  y 2 x 2  y 2 x2  y2

z  1 ( x  1 )  iy ( x  1 )  iy x 2  1  2 iy  y 2
3)   
z  1 ( x  1 )  iy ( x  1 )  iy ( x  1 )2  y 2
x2  y2  1 2y
  i
( x  1 )2  y 2 ( x  1 )2  y 2

1 1 1 x 2  y 2  2 xyi
4) 2   
z ( x  iy )2 x 2  y 2  2 xyi x 2  y 2  2 xyi
x 2  y 2  2 xyi x2  y2 2 xy
  i 2
( x  y )  4x y
2 2 2 2 2
(x  y )
2 2 2
( x  y 2 )2

3
 1 i 3 
EX-3- Show that    1 for all combination of signs.

 2 

Sol.-

٢
  
3
  1 i 3  1
L.H .S .     ( 1 )3  3( 1 )2 ( i 3 )  3( 1 )( i 3 )2  ( i 3 )3
 2  8


1
8
 
 1  i 3 3  9  i 3 3  1  R .H .S .

EX-4- Solve the following equation for the real numbers x and y.
( 3  4 i )2  2( x  iy )  x  iy
Sol.-

9  24 i  16 i 2  2 x  2 iy  x  iy
7
 7  24 i  3 x  iy 7  3x  x
3
24   y  y   24

Argrand Diagrams:- There are two geometric representation of the

complex number z  x  iy :-
a) as the point P(x,y) in the xy-plane , and
b) as the vector op from the origin to P.

In each representation, the x-axis is called the real axis and the y-
axis is the imaginary axis, as following figure.
In terms of the polar coordinates of x and y , we have:-
y
y
x  r cos  , y  r sin , tan  P(x,y)
x
r
y
and z  r (cos   i sin  )

(polar representation) x
0
x
The length r of a vector op from the origin to P(x,y) is:

x  iy  x2  y2

The polar angle  is called the argument of z and is written

  arg z

٣
 The identity e i  cos   i sin  is used for calculating products,
quotients, powers, and roots of complex numbers. Then z  re i
exponential representation.

a) Product: To multiply two complex numbers (figure below):

z1  r1 , arg z1   1
i 1 i 2
z1  r1e and z 2  r2 e so that
z 2  r2 , arg z 2   2
i i i (   )
Then z1 z 2  r1e 1  r2 e 2  r1 r2 e 1 2 y
z1 z2 z2
z1 z 2  r1 r2  z1  z 2
hence
arg( z1 z 2 )   1   2  arg z1  arg z 2 1
r2
z1
r1 r2 r1
2
1
z1 r1e i 1 r1 i (  1  2 ) x
b) Quotients:   e 0
z 2 r2 e i 2 r2

z1 r1 z z 
hence   1 and arg  1    1   2  arg z1  arg z 2
z 2 r2 z2  z2 

EX-5- Let z1  1  i and z 2  3  i find:

1) the exponential representation for z1 and z2 .
z1
2) the values of z1 z 2 and in exponential and polar
z2
representations.
Sol.-

1 ) z1  1  i  x1  1 , y1  1  r1  x12  y12  1  1  2

y y  i
tan     1  tan  1 1  tan  1 1   z1  2e 4
x x1 4
z2  3  i  x2  3 , y 2  1  r2  x 22  y 22  31  2

y2 1  i
  2  tan 1
 tan  1   z2  2 e 6
x2 3 6

٤
   
i i i
2 ) z1 z 2  2e 4
2e 6
 2 2e 12
exponentia l representa tion

r2 2 ,  
12
   
z1 z 2  2 2  cos  i sin  polar representa tion
 12 12 

i 5
z1 2e 4
1 i 12 
   e exponentia l representa tion
z2 i
6
2
2e
1 5
r ,    
2 12
z1 1  5 5 
  cos(  )  i sin(  )  polar representa tion
z2 2 12 12 

c) Powers: If n is a positive integer, then:

z n  ( re i )n  r ne in hence z n  r n and arg z n  n

DeMoivres Theorem : ( cos   i sin  )n  cos n  i sin n

EX-6- Find:  3i  10

Sol.-

x 3
y 1 
3i 
y  1
r  31  2 and   tan1
x
 tan1
3

6
      
3  i  2 cos(  )  i sin(  )  2 cos  i sin 
 6 6   6 6

 10   
3  i  210  cos 10  i sin 10   512  512 3i
 6 6

d) Roots: If z  re i is a complex number different from zero and

n is a positive integer, then there are precisely n different
complex numbers w0 , w 1 , w 2 ,......., w n  1 , that are nth roots of z
given by:
 2 
i  k 
i
n
re  re n n n 
, k  0,1,2,.........., n  1

٥
 EX-7- Find the four forth roots of (-16)

Sol.-
y 0
z  16  r  ( 16 )2  0  16 &   tan  1  tan  1 
x  16
 2  
i( k ) i(  k)
4
 16  16 e4 4 4
 2e 4 2
, k  0,1,2,3

i   
at k  0  1st root  w0  2e 4
 2  cos  i sin   2  2 i
 4 4
3
i  3 3 
at k  1  2nd root  w1  2e 4
 2 cos  i sin    2  2i
 4 4 
5
i  5 5 
at k  2  3rd root  w 2  2e 4
 2 cos   i sin     2  2 i
 4 4 
 7 
7
i  7
at k  3  4th root  w 3  2e 4
 2 cos   i sin    2  2 i
 4 4 

EX-8- Find the four solutions of the equation:- z4  2z2  4  0

Sol.-

2  4  4 1 4
z4  2z2  4  0  z2   1  3i  z   1  i 3
21
  b  b 2  4 ac 
 for ax 2  bx  c  0  x 
 2a 
y 3 
for 1  i 3  r  1  3  2 and   tan  1  tan  1 
x 1 3
i  
( ) i    6 2
1st root  w0  2 e 2 3
 2e 6
 2  cos  i sin    i
 6 6 2 2
i 
 7 
7
(  2 ) i  7
2nd root  w1  2 e 2 3
 2e 6
 2  cos   i sin  
 6 6 
6 2
  i
2 2
y  3 
for 1  i 3  r  1  3  2 and   tan  1  tan  1 
x 1 3

٦
  
i
( ) i(  )    
3rd root  w 2  2 e 2 3
 2e 6
 2  cos(  )  i sin(  ) 
 6 6 
6 2
  i
2 2

 5 
i 5
(   2 ) i  5
4th root  w 3  2 e 2 3
 2e 6
 2  cos   i sin  
 6 6 
6 2
  i
2 2

EX-9- Graph the points z  x  iy that satisfy the given conditions:-

1) z  2 2) z  2 3) z  2 4) z  1  z  1
y
Sol.-
2

1) z  2  x2  y2  2  x2  y2  4 -2 x
The points on the circle wit h center 0 2
at origin, and radius 2. -2
y
2
2) z  2  x2  y2  2  x2  y2  4
-2 x
The interior points of the circle wit h center 0 2
at origin, and radius 2.
-2
y

2
3) z  2  x2  y2  2  x2  y2  4
The exterior points of the circle wit h center -2 x

at origin, and radius 2. 0 2

-2

4) z1  z1  x  iy  1  x  iy  1 y

 (x  1)2  y 2  (x  1)2  y 2 
x2  2 x  1  y2  x2  2 x  1  y2  x  0 0 x
The points on the y - axis.

٧
 Problems – 9

1) Find the values of:-

a ) ( 2  3 i )( 4  2 i ) (ans. : 14  8 i )
b) ( 2  i )( 2  3 i ) (ans. :  1  8 i )
c) ( 1  2 i )(2  i ) (ans. :  5 i )

6
 1 i 3 
2) Show that    1 for all combination of signs.

 2 

3) Solve the following equation for the real numbers x and y :-

( 3  2 i )( x  iy )  2 ( x  2 iy )  2 i  1 (ans. : x   1 ; y  0)

4) Show that z  z .

5) Let Re(z) and Im(z) denote respectively the real and imaginary
parts of z , show that:-
a ) z  z  2 Re
b) z  z  2 i Im( z )
2 2 2
c) z1  z 2  z1  z 2  2 Re( z 1 z 2 )

6) Graph the points z  x  iy that satisfy the given conditions:-

a) z1  2 (ans. : on the circle wit h center (1,0), radius 2)
b) z  1  1 (ans. : on the circle wit h center ( 1,0), radius 1)
c) z  i  z  1 (ans. : on the line y   x )

7) Express the following complex number in exponential form

with r  o and       :-

٨
 2
i 
a ) ( 1   3 )2 (ans. : 4 e 3
)

1 i i
2
b) (ans. : e )
1 i

1 i 3 i
2
c) (ans. : e )
1 i 3
1
( 0.125 )
d ) ( 2  3 i )( 1  2 i ) (ans. : 65 e i tan )

1 3
8) Find the three cube roots of 1 . (ans. :  i )
2 2

1 1
9) Find the two square roots of i . (ans. :  i )
2 2

10) Find the three cube roots of (-8i) .

(ans. :  2i ;  3i)

11) Find the six sixth roots of (64) .

(ans. :  2 ; 1  i 3 ;  1  i 3 )

12) Find the six solutions of the equation: z6  2 z 3  2  0

 2 2 
(ans. : 3
2  cos   i sin   ;
 9 9 
    4 4 
3
2   cos  i sin  ; 3
2  cos   i sin   )
 9 9  9 9 

13) Find all solutions of the equation: x 4  4 z 2  16  0

(ans. : 1  i 3 ;  1  i 3 )

14) Solve the equation: x4  1  0

1 i 1 i
(ans. :  ;   )
2 2 2 2