CorePure1 Chapter 2 ::

Argand Diagrams
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Last modified: 14th September 2018

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Chapter Overview

1:: Represent complex 2:: Put a complex number in modulus-

numbers on an Argand argument form.
Diagram.  “Put in modulus-argument form.”

3:: Identify loci and regions.

 “Give the equation of the loci of
points that satisfies ”
Argand Diagrams
 
Just as - axes were a useful way to visualise coordinates, an Argand diagram allows us to
visualise complex numbers.
Very
  simply, a complex number can be plotted as a point .
The “” axis is therefore the “real axis” and the “” axis therefore the “imaginary axis”.
The plane (2D space) formed by the axes is known as the “complex plane” or “ plane”.

𝑰𝒎(𝒛)
 
Click to move.
3 is a function which
 gives
 1+𝑖 2
  −3 𝑖
you the real
part of a complex
2 number. e.g. .
ClassWizs have this
function!
1

𝑹𝒆(𝒛)
 
-3 -2 -1 1 2 3 −1+2
  𝑖 −2 𝑖
 
-1

-2

-3
But why visualise complex numbers?
Just as with standard 2D coordinates, Argand diagrams help us interpret the
relationship between complex numbers in a geometric way:
𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
 
𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
  “Solve
  ”
When you find the th
roots of a complex
number, the solutions
are the same distance
from the origin and
𝑅𝑒[
  𝑧] equally spread.
𝑅𝑒[
  𝑧]
Recall from Chapter 1 that
 complex roots of a polynomial
come in conjugates . That means
when plotted on an Argand
diagram, the real axis is a line of
𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
  symmetry for solutions of
polynomial equations.

“Sketch
  ”
−1 3
𝑅𝑒[
  𝑧]
  1    Later in this chapter we will see
how to represent the locus of
You may recognise images like
points that satisfy a given the ones above. They are
equation or inequality. Mandelbrot sets, and are plotted
on an Argand diagram.
Modulus and Argument

𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
   is plotted on an Argand diagram.
(a) What is its distance from the origin?
(b) What is its anti-clockwise angle from
3 the positive real axis? (in radians)
𝜃  𝑅𝑒[
  𝑧] a  Using Pythagoras:
4 ?

b Using trigonometry:
(to 3sf) ?

 
These are respectively known as the modulus and argument of a complex
number. (The
 used former you would have seen
in the same way for the
magnitude of a vector)

 ! If then
• is the modulus of .
• is the argument of : the anti-clockwise rotation, in radians, from the positive real axis.
in the 1st and 4th quadrants.
𝜋 
is usually given in range and is known as the principal argument.
−𝜋 
Examples
b 𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
 
 Determine the modulus d 𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
 
and argument of:
(a) 𝜃  𝑅𝑒[
  𝑧]
1
(b)
𝑅𝑒[
𝜃 
(c) ?   𝑧] 3
1
(d)
  1
 
a 𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
  ?

We could have also used

12 c 𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
 
𝜃 
𝑅𝑒[
  𝑧]
5 𝑅𝑒[
  𝑧]
?
2 𝜃 
?

   
The argument is given as an angle
(3sf) between
Test Your Understanding
Edexcel FP1(Old) June 2010 Q1

?a

?b

?c

?d
Exercise 2B
Pearson Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Pages 21-23
Modulus-Argument Form

𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
   If we let and , can you think of a way of
expressing in terms of just and ?

𝑟 
 𝑦
𝜃  𝑅𝑒[
 By trigonometry:
  𝑧]
𝑥  Therefore:
?

 ! The modulus-argument form of is

where and

Context:
  is known as a polar coordinate and you will learn about these in
CorePure Year 2. Instead of coordinates being specified by their and
position (known as a Cartesian coordinate), they are specified by their
distance from the origin (the ‘pole’) and their rotation.
Example
 Express in the form where

 
𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
 

?
1 𝜃 
𝑅𝑒[
  𝑧]
−  √ 3

Test Your Understanding

 Express in the form where
𝐼𝑚[𝑧]
   
 1
𝑅𝑒[
  𝑧]
?
√3
  𝜃 
Exercise 2C
Pearson Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Page 24
Multiplying and Dividing Complex Numbers
 Find the modulus and argument of and .
When you multiply these complex numbers together, do you notice
anything about the modulus and argument of the result?

?
? ? ?
? ? ?

Observation: The moduli have been multiplied, and the arguments have been added!

 ! Multiplying complex numbers:  Proof (not assessed):

Recall from Pure Year 2 that:

Let and .
Dividing complex numbers:
Then

So
and
Multiplying and Dividing Complex Numbers
 [Textbook] Express in the form

√¿ 2 cos 𝜋 − 5𝜋 +𝑖sin 𝜋 − 5𝜋
(( ) ( )
2 12 6
?

12 6
Exercise 2D
Pearson Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Pages 27-28
Loci
You have already encountered loci at GCSE as a set of points (possibly forming
a line or region) which satisfy some restriction.

The definition of a circle for example is “a set of points equidistant from a fixed
centre”.

𝐼𝑚
 

3  means that the modulus of the

complex number has to be 3.
What points does this give us on
the Argand diagram?
-3 3 𝑅𝑒
 

Click to
-3
Frosketch >
A quick reminder…

|𝑧|=|𝒙 +𝒊𝒚|
 

?
 
Loci of form
𝐼𝑚
   What does mean?

 𝑟  The difference between some point

from a fixed point ? is of length .
 𝑧 1 i.e. The point is a distance from .

 ! is represented by a circle centre

𝑅𝑒
 
with radius , where

𝐼𝑚
 
 Sketch the locus of points represented ( 5,3
  )
by

|  𝑧 −5 −3 𝑖|→∨𝑧?− ( 5+3 𝑖 )∨¿ 𝑅𝑒

 

Find the Cartesian equation of this locus.

|𝑧 −5 −3 𝑖|=3
  Group by
2 2
real/imaginary.
? √ ( 𝑥−5 ) +( 𝑦 −3) =3
 
 
Loci of form
 What does mean?
𝐼𝑚
   The distance of from is the same as
the distance from . ?
 𝑧 2
!  is represented is represented by a
perpendicular bisector of the line
segment joining the points to .
𝑅𝑒
 
 𝑧 1

 Sketch the locus of points represented 𝐼𝑚

 
by . Write its equation.
(0,6)
 
Click to Frosketch >
(The
  equation is obviously , but let’s do it the
same algebraic way)
(0,0)
  𝑅𝑒
 
Equation ?
Test Your Understanding So Far
 Find the Cartesian equation of the locus of if , and sketch the locus of
on an Argand diagram.

 𝑦

|𝑥+𝑖𝑦−3|=|𝑥+𝑖𝑦+𝑖|
 
 4
Equation ? Argand Diagram ?
 4 (3,0)
 
3
(0,−1)
 

 What if we also required that ?

 This restricts our line to points where the real part is 0.

This is just (0,4), i.e. . ?
 
Minimising/Maximising and
 A complex number is represented by the point . Given that
(a) Sketch the locus of
(b) Find the Cartesian equation of the locus.
(c) Find the maximum value of in the interval
(d) Find the minimum and maximum values of

a We did this earlier… c 𝐼𝑚

  d The
  minimum and
maximum can be found
𝐼𝑚
   3 be drawing a line between
( 5,3
  ) the origin and the centre
𝐶
  of circle, and seeing
( 5,3
  ) 𝛼
  where the line intersects
𝛼
  ?
the circle. Note that we

𝑂
  𝑅𝑒
  do not need the actual
? themselves!
𝑅𝑒
  The
  maximum argument occurs Max
when a line from the origin is Min
tangent to the circle.

b (  𝑥 −5 )2+ ( 𝑦 −3 )2= 9
Quickfire Test Your Understanding
 Given that the complex number satisfies the equation
, find the minimum value of and the maximum.

 𝑦 Minimum = 10
Maximum = 16

(12,5)
 
?
13
   3

 𝑥
 
Minimising with perpendicular bisectors
 (From earlier) Find the Cartesian equation of the locus of if , and sketch the locus of
on an Argand diagram.
Hence, find the least possible value of .

|𝑥+𝑖𝑦−3|=|𝑥+𝑖𝑦+𝑖|
 
 The minimum distance is the
perpendicular distance from the origin.
Easiest strategy is coordinate geometry:

Gradient of loci:
 𝑦 Gradient of perpendicular line:
Equation of perpendicular line:
 4
? Min Distance to
Distance
Origin

 4
3
 

 𝑦  ?
Click to Frosketch >

 At any point, the angle made

relative to the origin is

𝜋
This bit is important.
𝜋   The locus is referred to
 6
 𝑥
as a ‘half line’,

arg (Equation
𝑧 )= ?
because it extends to
infinity only in one

6
direction.

 𝑦  ?
 can be Click to Frosketch >
rewritten as
 
3𝜋
3𝜋
 
4
 𝑥
arg ( 𝑥+𝑖𝑦+3+2𝑖 )= ?
Equation
4
One way of thinking about it: If
 we were to add to , we’d then
(−3,−2)
  have had , which would be
centred at the origin.
Exercise 2E
Pearson Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Pages 34-36
Regions
How would you describe each of the following in words? Therefore draw each of the
regions on an Argand diagram.
  |𝑧 − 4 − 2 𝑖|≤ 2   |𝑧 − 4|<¿ 𝑧 − 6∨¿
 “The distance from is less than 2”.  “The distance from is less than from .”
 𝑦

? (4,2)
  ?  𝑥=5

 𝑥
 4  4  6
  𝜋  ,
0 ≤ arg ( 𝑧 − 2 − 2 𝑖 ) ≤
4 and

An intersection of the three other regions.

 𝜋
? 4
(I couldn’t be ?
bothered to
(2,2)
  draw this. Sorry)
Test Your Understanding
P6 June 2003 Q4(i)(b)
 Shade the region for which
and

?
Exercise 2F
Pearson Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS
Page 38