COMPLEXITY OF ELECTRICITY

ROLE OF COMPLEX NUMBERS IN ELECTRONICS:

CARTESIAN AND POLAR FORM THROUGH
CIRCUIT ANALYSIS

Lovelyn L. Chen
[email protected]
MinSCAT - Calapan City Campus
College of Teacher Education

Introduction
For over the centuries, it took mankind to come up and concept the numbers
basing on the theory of natural numbers in mathematics like the Peano in 20 th century
and any other theories that have been subjected. Most numbers are complex
abstractions constructed from real numbers. And these abstractions were invented and
discovered to solve and explain some practical problems even before the formalization
of rational mathematical theory.
Mathematics consist numbers that we considered as real but there also exist an
imaginary component called complex numbers. Complex numbers are helpful abstract
numbers that can be used in doing calculations and resulting in the practical solutions.
Additionally, it is an abstraction built and got from reals. However, it takes a lot of time
for mathematics to accept this. It is also defined as the combination of real and
imaginary numbers wherein part of the complex number is real as well as imaginary.  It
was introduced to allow complex equations to be solved with numbers that are the
square roots of negative numbers, √-1.
However, complex numbers are not just simply numbers as it has been used as
a great deal in electronics and other electrical related components. Engineers used this
as tool to describe and explain the voltage and current. When dealing with resistors, you
will not need the imaginary numbers because current and voltage have a one is to one
relation but when a voltage has gone to its peak value, the current also does and they
were in the state of phase. However, there were various elements like inductors and
capacitors n which voltage and current are not in the phase, only the complex or
imaginary numbers can describe the situation and do calculations regarding the issue.
Additionally, in electrical engineering, they called complex numbers as imaginary
number to distinguish an imaginary to real number letter j known as j – operator.
This paper seeks to determine the role of complex numbers in electronics
especially in circuit analysis by determining the voltage, resistance and current of an
electricity. It also describes how complex numbers were used in the calculations using
the mathematical form of Cartesian and polar coordinates. Furthermore, it explains the

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COMPLEXITY OF ELECTRICITY

process on how complex numbers were put and act in the electronic components of
circuits.

COMPLEX NUMBERS IN VOLTAGE, CURRENT AND RESISTANCE

An Italian mathematician in the 16 th
complex numbers = a + bi
century, Gerolamo Cardano, tried to find solutions
to cubic equations from which he first introduced electronics = a + jb
complex numbers. Complex number system is an
algebraic extension of the ordinary real numbers because of the existence of the
imaginary number i. However, in electronics i is placed by the letter j which is placed in
front of a real number to indicate that it is an imaginary number operation. It is also
because i is denoted as current.
Imaginary numbers are appropriately used in electricity, specifically alternating
current (AC) electronics. Unlike direct current (DC), AC electricity changes between
positive and negative in a sine wave. AC currents do not match properly on the sine
waves which is the reason of considering it difficult. Using the combination of imaginary
currents and real numbers it is possible to do the calculations and avoiding electrocution
in AC electricity.
In line with this, when engineers are working with circuits, they apply the formula
of the voltage (volts), current (amps) and resistance (ohms).
Since, complex numbers are involving in the calculations of electric currents in
which we will need to multiply or divide V = I x R complex numbers. This
process uses the FOIL method which stand for First, Outside,
Example 1. An electrical circuit has a 3+j2 ohms resistance

and 1+4j amps current. What is the voltage of the circuit?

Inside and Last terms multiplied together to form an individual and the complex
conjugates.
V=IxR
= (3+j2) (1+4j)
=3 Multiply first terms: 3x1
= 3+12j Multiply outside terms: 3x4j
= 3+12j+j2 Multiply inside terms: j2x1
2
= 3+12j+j2+j 8 Multiply last terms: j2x4j
2
= 3+14j+j 8 Combine like terms
= 3+14j-8 j28 = -8
= -5+14j Answer
Then the voltage of the circuit is -5+14j volts.

Example 2. An electrical circuit has a 10+j4 ohms resistance 2

and a voltage of 44+6j volts. What is the current of the

COMPLEXITY OF ELECTRICITY

I = V/R
= (44+6j/10+j6)
= (44+6j/10+j6) x (10-j4/10-j4) Complex Conjugate
= (44+6j) (10-j4) Multiply Numerators
2
= 440-176j+60j-24j FOIL Method
2
= 440-116j-24j Combine like terms
= 464-116j Simplified Numerator
= (10-j4/10-j4) Multiply Denominators
2
= 100-40j+40j-16j FOIL Method
2
= 100-16j Combine like terms
= 116 Simplified Denominator
= 464-116j/116 Divide
= 4-j Answer
Therefore, the current of the circuit is 4-j amp.
COMPLEX NUMBERS: CARTESIAN AND POLAR FORM - ELECTRONICS
Rectangular coordinate having two distinct axes (x and y) the horizontal axis
refers to the “real axis” while the vertical axis is an “imaginary axis”. The real parts of a
complex number present as Re (z) and imaginary parts as Im (z). But in electronics it
played a great role in the representation of the complex numbers. Complex numbers
are made up of real numbers which is the active component and imaginary numbers as
the reactive component. Just like in elementary algebra, these numbers can be added
and subtracted to be able to analyze DC circuits. Moreover, the rules and laws being
used in mathematics for addition and subtraction of imaginary numbers and real
numbers are the same; however, they differ in terms of multiplying numbers for two
imaginary numbers multiplied together becomes a real number.
Since, complex numbers can be easily
added and subtracted using Cartesian
coordinates form and the vectors are subtracted
using Cartesian components.
(x1 + x2) + j × (y1 + y2) = z1 + z2
(x1 - x2) + j × (y1 - y2) = z1 - z2
Figure 1 Representations of Moreover, multiplication in Cartesian form is
Addition of Complex Numbers
straightforward.
z1 × z2
= (x1 + jy1) × (x2 + jy2)
= (x1x2 - y1y2) + j × (x1y2 + x2y1)
While division can be solved by multiplying the
numerator and denominator to the conjugate
complex number of denominator.
z1 / z2
= [(x1 + jy1) / (x2 + jy2)] ● [(x2 - jy2) / (x2 - jy2)]
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COMPLEXITY OF ELECTRICITY

= [(x1x2 - y1y2) + j] ● [(x1y2 + x2y1) / (x22 + y22)]

Through this way, we can distinct real from imaginary parts of the ratio. And
multiplying numerator and denominator to the conjugate will guarantee that the results
will be real and with an imaginary j in the numerator.
Using polar coordinate form, multiplication and division are done with use of
exponential function.
r1 × r2 × ej(ϕ1 - ϕ2) = z1 × z2
r1/r2 × ej(ϕ1 - ϕ2) = z1 × z2

Based from the statement mentioned above, i is used to represent current which
is the reason for j to be referred as an imaginary number and is often called as the j-
operator. J-operator has the exact value of √ −1, this means that multiplying it many
times will result as -1, -j and +1. It is commonly used to imply the rotation of the vector
(phasor) to anticlockwise direction and for each continuous multiplication of j the vector
will be forced to rotate through a fixed angle of 90°. Similarly, the phase shift will be 90°
in a clockwise direction if the vector results in –j.
Phasor is being described as the rotating vector it means that it is the polar form
of complex numbers. In relating this in the real circuit, the real part is described as tying
in with resistors that get rid of energy as heat and the imaginary part involving
stockpiled energy like found in capacitors and inductors.
Conclusion
Complex numbers are not just an imaginary number. It can be described as an
amazing number for it helps people to solve solutions relating in electrical circuits.
Complex numbers have been into the way of electricity by computing voltage,
resistance and current. There were things that only complex numbers can describe the
situation in electrical set up like the voltage and current that are not in phase. Also
phasors help to describe how a circuit works through its direction in the rectangular
coordinate in a polar form.
We can conclude that complex numbers really helps us especially electrical
engineers and other related works in describing and explaining how current and
electricity works. This also give us the idea on how to make the calculations and solving
became easier through the use of complex numbers.

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COMPLEXITY OF ELECTRICITY

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Budd, C. (2017). Complex Electricity. Plus Maths.
Johnson, R. (2012). Complex Numbers in Circuit Analysis. In C. Hill, Algebra
Application Review (pp. 34-39). Santa Cruz.
Lesurf, J. (2006). Complex Numbers. Scotland: Saint Andrews. Retrieved from St.
Andrews.
Robbins, M. (2009). Ultimate Electronics: Practical Circuit Design and Analysis. US:
Circuit Lab.
Tutorial, S. (n.d.). Complex Numbers in Electrical Engineering. Retrieved from Sophia:
http://www.sophia.org/tutorials/complex-numbers-in-electrical-engineering-3