Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

Chapter 2 Complex numbers

Review: Radicals

A radical is any quantity with a radical symbol, . means the "positive square root" of a
number.

A radical expression is any expression that contains a radical.

To simplify a radical expression means:

1) Make the radicand(s) as small as possible
2) Perform every operation (addition, multiplication, etc.) possible
3) Eliminate any fractions in radicand(s)
4) Eliminate any radicals in the denominator of a fraction

Product Property Quotient Property

ab = a • b , as long as a and b are a a

= , as long as a and b are positive
positive numbers b b
numbers

Example 1: Simplify 12 .
Using the property above: 12 = 4 • 3

However, we know 4 = 2, hence 12 = 2 3

This simplification was made possible because we knew a perfect square (4), divided evenly into
the radicand (12). If a person had written 12 = 6 • 2 , then no simplifying could be done,
because 6 and 2 are not perfect squares.

Thus, the critical part is that one must choose factors that are perfect squares.

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Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

Example 2: Simplify.

a) 24 = 4  6 = 4 6 = 2 6 b) 72 = 36  2 = 36 2 = 6 2

c) 5 27 = 5 9  3 = 5 9 3 = 5(3) 3 = 15 3
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Example 3: Simplify .
8
6 3 6 3
= [Simplify to ]
8 4 8 4
3
= [Use the quotient property.]
4
3
= [The denominator can be simplified.]
2
7
Example 4: Simplify .
2
7 7 [Use the quotient property]
=
2 2

=
7
•
2 [Since the radical still exists in the
2 2 denominator, both the numerator and
14 denominator will be multiplied by 2 ]
=
2
x y
Example 5: Simplify .
x3
x y x y
= [The denominator can be simplified.]
x3 x x
y
=
x
[The x's on the outside can essentially be
y x xy
= • = cancelled.]
x x x

Adding and Subtracting Radicals

The rule is to only add and subtract like radicals - radicals that have the same number under the
radical symbol. For example: 2 3 , 5 3 , − 10 3 are like radicals.

Example 1: 3 3 + 4 3 = 7 3 Example 2: 3 2 − 5 6 + 2 − 2 6 + 4
= 3 2 + 2 −5 6 −2 6 +4
= 4 2 −7 6 +4

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Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

Multiply Radicals c a  d b = cd ab

1) Multiply the coefficients and the radicands separately.

2) Simplify the radicand at the end.

Example 1: Multiply 3 2 • 4 5 .
Multiply "3 and 4", and multiply "2 and 5" to get 12 10 .
The radicand, 10, cannot be simplified anymore, so 12 10 is the final answer.

Example 2: − 4 6  2 6 = − 8 36 = − 4  6 = -48

Example 3: (2 + 6 )(3 − 12 )
= 2  3 − 2  12 + 6  3 − 6  12
= 6 − 2 12 + 3 6 − 6  12
= 6 − 2 43 + 3 6 − 66 2
= 6−4 3 +3 6 −6 2

1. The Complex Numbers

Are the real numbers not sufficient?

If we desire that every integer has an inverse element, we have to invent rational numbers and
many things become much simpler.

If we desire every polynomial equation to have a root, we have to extend the real number field R
to a larger field C of 'complex numbers', and many statements become more homogeneous.

A complex number is a number that has two components: a real part and an imaginary part, written
as: a + bi . We call 'a' the real part and 'bi' the imaginary part of the complex number.

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Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

The imaginary is defined to be: Then: Co

( ) ( −1)
2 2
Now, you may think you can do this: i 2 = −1 = = 1 =1

However, it does not work with complex numbers.

In general, we can write any complex number in the form of a + bi. We designate any complex
number by the letter z. As such z = a + bi.

Key Words

Example: Simplify.

a) −9 = 9 ( −1) = 9 −1 = 9 i = 3i e) (i)(2i)(–3i)

= (2 · –3)(i · i · i)
b) −25 = 25 ( −1) = 25 −1 = 5i
= (–6)(i2 · i)
c) −18 = 9 2 ( −1) = 9 2 −1 = 3 2i =(–6)(–1 · i)

d) − −6 = − 6 ( −1) = − 6 −1 = − 6i = (–6)(–i) = 6i

Note this last problem e). Within it, you can see that , because i2 = –1. Continuing, we get:

This pattern of powers, signs, 1's, and i's is a cycle: →

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Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

In other words, to calculate any high power of i, you can convert it to a lower power by taking
the closest multiple of 4 that's no bigger than the exponent and subtracting this multiple from the
exponent. For example, a common trick question on tests is something along the lines of
"Simplify i99", the idea being that you'll try to multiply i ninety-nine times and you'll run out of
time, and the teachers will get a good giggle at your expense in the faculty lounge. Here's how
the shortcut works:

i99 = i96+3 = i(4×24)+3 = i3 = –i

That is, i99 = i3, because you can just lop off the i96. (Ninety-six is a multiple of four, so i96 is
just 1, which you can ignore.) In other words, you can divide the exponent by 4 (using long
division), discard the answer, and use only the remainder. This will give you the part of the
exponent that you care about.

Practice: Simplify i17.

i17 = i16 + 1 = i4 · 4 + 1 = i1 = i

Equal Complex Numbers

Two complex numbers (a, b) and (c, d) are equal if and only if (a = c and b = d).

So a + bi = c + di <=> a = c and b = d

2. Addition and Subtraction of Complex Numbers

We define the sum of complex numbers in a trivial way.

(a, b) + (a', b') = (a + a', b + b') or (a + bi) + (a'+ b'i) = (a + a') + (b + b')i

(a + bi) - (c + di) = (a - c) + (b - d)i and a + (-b)i = a – bi

The same algebra rules that we learned for polynomials apply for complex numbers - the concepts
of like terms and the distributive rule apply. For example, the terms 7i and i are like terms; the
terms 6 and 6i are unlike terms.

Example: Simplify

a) (2 + 3i) + (1 – 6i) = (2 + 1) + (3i – 6i) = 3 + (–3i) = 3 – 3i

b) (5 – 2i) – (–4 – i) = 5 – 2i + 4 + i = (5 + 4) + (–2i + i) = (9) + (–1i) = 9 – i

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Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

3. Multiplication and Division of Complex Numbers

We define the product of complex numbers to be: (a, b) × (c, d) = (ac - bd, ad + bc) using FOIL
which stands for "Firsts, Outers, Inners, Lasts"

Example 1: Simplify

a) (2 – i)(3 + 4i) = (2)(3) + (2)(4i) + (–i)(3) + (–i)(4i)

= 6 + 8i – 3i – 4i2 = 6 + 5i – 4(–1)

= 6 + 5i + 4 = 10 + 5i

b) (2 + 3i)(1 + 2i) = -4 + 7i

Complex numbers have conjugates which means that the two complex numbers have the same
real component and the imaginary components are “negative opposites”. If we designate z = a +
bi, then we designate the complex conjugate as a – bi.

A prerequisite skill is the idea of “rationalizing the denominator” - in other words, we have roots
in the denominator that we can algebraically “remove” or change.

Specifically, we do not want a term containing i in the denominator, so we must “remove it”
using algebraic concepts (recall i2 = -1 and recall the product of conjugates)

When dividing by (a + bi), we multiply the numerator and the denominator with the complex
conjugate of the denominator (a – bi).

Example 2: Simplify

5 5 i 5i 5i
a) = • = =−
2i 2i i 2(−1) 2

3
b)
2+i

If you multiply top and bottom by i, you get:

You will still have i at the bottom. Therefore, we need to multiply the conjugate.

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Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

→ A REAL NUMBER!

3 2 − i 3(2 − i ) 6 − 3i 6 3
• = = = − i
2 + i 2 − i 4 − (−1) 5 5 5

Note that when we multiply the conjugate, difference of square formula is applied to the
denominator.

−5 + 10i −5 + 10i (−5 + 10i)(3 + 4i) −15 − 20i + 30i − 40 −55 + 10i −11 + 2i
c) = = = = =
3 − −16 3 − 4i (3 − 4i)(3 + 4i) 9 + 16 25 5

4 − 3i (4 − 3i)(5 − 8 i) 20 − 4 8i − 15i − 3 8 20 − 6 2 8 2 + 15
d) = = = − i
5 + 8i (5 + 8i)(5 − 8 i) 25 + 8 33 33

4. Graph of a Complex Number

You can graph complexes, but not in the x, y-plane. You need the "complex" plane. For the
complex plane, the x-axis is where you plot the real part, and the y-axis is where you graph the
imaginary part. A complex number can now be shown as a point. For instance, for the complex
number 3 – 2i, you would graph it like this: You know how the number line goes left-right?
Well let's have the imaginary numbers go up-down:

This leads to an interesting fact: When you learned about regular ("real") numbers, you also
learned about their order (this is what you show on the number line). But x,y-points don't come in
any particular order. You can't say that one point "comes after" another point in the same way

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Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

that you can say that one number comes after another number. For instance, you can't say that (4,
5) "comes after" (4, 3)" in the way that you can say that 5 comes after 3. Pretty much all you can
do is compare "size", and, for complex numbers, "size" means "how far from the origin". To do
this, you use the Distance Formula, and compare which complexes are closer to or further from
the origin. This "size" concept is called "the modulus". For instance, looking at our complex
number plotted above, its modulus is computed by using the Distance Formula: Copyright ©

Note that all points at this distance from the origin have the same modulus. All the points on the
circle with radius sqrt(13) are viewed as being complex numbers having the same "size" as 3 –
2i.

Any complex number, z, can be represented by a point in the complex plane as shown in the
following diagram.

We can join point P to the origin with a line segment, as shown. We associate with this line segment
two important quantities. The length of the line segment, that is OP, is called the modulus of the
complex number. The angle from the positive axis to the line segment is called the argument of
the complex number, z.

The modulus and argument are fairly simple to calculate using trigonometry.

We define modulus or absolute value of a + bi as a 2 + b 2 by Pythagorean Theorem.

We write this modulus of a + bi as |a + bi|, and argument of a + bi as arg(a + bi).

Example: Find the modulus and argument of z = 4 + 3i.

Solution: The complex number z = 4 + 3i is shown in Figure 2. It has been represented by the
point Q which has coordinates (4, 3). The modulus of z is the length of the line OQ which we can
find using Pythagorean Theorem.

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Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

OQ2 = 42 + 32 = 16 + 9 = 25 and hence OQ = 5.

Hence the modulus of z = 4 + 3i is 5.

To find the argument we must calculate the angle between the x axis and the line segment OQ.
We have labelled this θ in Figure 2.

By referring to the right-angled triangle OQN in Figure 2 we see that

tan θ =3/4
θ = tan−1(3/4) = 36.97◦

To summarize, the modulus of z = 4 + 3i is 5 and its argument is θ = 36.97 ◦. There is a special

symbol for the modulus of z; this is |z|. So, in this example, |z| = 5.

We also have an abbreviation for argument: we write arg(z) = 36.97◦.

5. Complex Numbers and the Quadratic Formula

Remember that the Quadratic Formula solves "ax2 + bx + c = 0" for the values of x. Also
remember that this means that you are trying to find the x-intercepts of the graph. When the
Formula gives you a negative inside the square root, you can now simplify the zero by using
complex numbers. The answer you come up with is a valid "zero" or "root" or "solution" for "ax2
+ bx + c = 0", because, if you plug it back into the quadratic, you'll get zero after you simplify.
But you cannot graph a complex number on the x, y-plane. So this "solution to the equation" is
not an x-intercept. In other words, you can make this connection between the Quadratic Formula,
complex numbers, and graphing:

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Meritus Academy MCu11 class 2 notes

x2 – 2x – 3 x2 – 6x + 9 x2 + 3x + 3

a positive number inside the a negative number inside the

zero inside the square root
square root square root
two real solutions one (repeated) real solution two complex solutions

no x-intercepts
two distinct x-intercepts one (repeated) x-intercept
(In fact, there are 2 imaginary roots)

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