Complex Numbers

Since there exisits no real number solutions for equations involving negative square roots
(example √−4 , the real numbers needed to be expanded to the set of complex numbers
(imaginary numbers). A complex number 𝑧𝑧 is an ordered pair (𝑥𝑥, 𝑦𝑦) of real numbers where 𝑥𝑥
is refered to as the real component of 𝑧𝑧 (𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁: 𝑥𝑥 = 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅(𝑧𝑧)) and 𝑦𝑦 the imaginary
component of 𝑧𝑧 (𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁𝑁: 𝑦𝑦 = 𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼(𝑧𝑧)), with 𝑖𝑖 = √−1, the complex number will be written
in the standard (or Cartesian) form as: 𝑧𝑧 = 𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦. The set of complex numbers ∁ is then
defined as ∁= �𝒛𝒛 = 𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦�𝑥𝑥, 𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦, 𝑖𝑖 = √−1�. Complex numbers 𝑧𝑧 with 𝐼𝐼𝐼𝐼(𝑧𝑧) = 0 are real
numbers, therefore 𝑹𝑹 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑎𝑎 𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜 ∁. Complex numbers 𝑧𝑧 with 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅(𝑧𝑧) = 0 ( 𝑧𝑧 = 𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦) are
called pure imaginary numbers. Other numbers usually have a real and a complex component.
For example: 𝒛𝒛 = 5 + 2𝑖𝑖

Evaluating Square Roots of Negative Numbers

As we mentioned earlier, other than for the set of real numbers R, negative roots are defined
and could be evaluated for the set of complex numbers.

Express square roots of negative numbers as multiples of i

We know how to find the square root of any positive real number. In a similar way, we can find
the square root of a negative number. The difference is that the root is not real. If the value in
the radicand is negative, the root is said to be an imaginary number. The imaginary number
𝑖𝑖 is defined as the square root of negative 1.

𝒊𝒊 = √−𝟏𝟏 or 𝒊𝒊𝟐𝟐 = −𝟏𝟏.

Using this fact; we can write the square root of any negative number as a multiple of 𝑖𝑖. For
instance √−𝑥𝑥 could be written as �(−1)𝑥𝑥 = �(−1)√𝑥𝑥 = 𝑖𝑖 √𝑥𝑥.

Example: Consider the square root of –25.

√−25 = √25 √−1 = 5𝑖𝑖

Plotting complex numbers on the complex plane

We cannot plot complex numbers on a number line as we might real numbers. However, we
can represent the complex number 𝑧𝑧 = 𝑥𝑥, 𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦 graphically. To represent a complex number we
consider the 𝑥𝑥, 𝑦𝑦 components of the number 𝑧𝑧 as the ordered pair (𝑥𝑥, 𝑦𝑦). Now we use the
complex plane, which is a coordinate system in which the horizontal axis represents the real
component x and the vertical axis represents the imaginary component y. For example, the
complex number 𝑧𝑧 = 3 − 2𝑖𝑖 is the points on the plane, expressed as ordered pairs (3, −2), as
shown in the figure:

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Addition and Subtraction of Complex Numbers

Just as with real numbers, we can perform arithmetic operations on complex numbers. To add
or subtract complex numbers, we combine the real parts and combine the imaginary parts.

Consider the complex numbers: 𝑧𝑧1 = 𝑥𝑥1 + 𝑦𝑦1 𝑖𝑖 and 𝑧𝑧2 = 𝑥𝑥2 + 𝑦𝑦2 𝑖𝑖, we define the following
operations:

Adding complex numbers:

𝑧𝑧1 + 𝑧𝑧2 = (𝑥𝑥1 + 𝑦𝑦1 𝑖𝑖) + (𝑥𝑥2 + 𝑦𝑦2 𝑖𝑖) = (𝑥𝑥1 + 𝑥𝑥2 ) + (𝑦𝑦1 + 𝑦𝑦2 )𝑖𝑖

Subtracting complex numbers:

𝑧𝑧1 − 𝑧𝑧2 = (𝑥𝑥1 + 𝑦𝑦1 𝑖𝑖) − (𝑥𝑥2 + 𝑦𝑦2 𝑖𝑖) = (𝑥𝑥1 − 𝑥𝑥2 ) + (𝑦𝑦1 − 𝑦𝑦2 )𝑖𝑖

Example:

Let 𝑧𝑧1 = 3 − 4𝑖𝑖 and 𝑧𝑧2 = 2 + 5𝑖𝑖, then:

𝑧𝑧1 + 𝑧𝑧2 = (3 − 4𝑖𝑖) + (2 + 5𝑖𝑖) = (3 + 2) + (−4 + 5)𝑖𝑖 = 5 + 1𝑖𝑖
𝑧𝑧1 − 𝑧𝑧2 = (3 − 4𝑖𝑖) − (2 + 5𝑖𝑖) = 𝟏𝟏 − 𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗

Multiplying Complex Numbers

Multipling a complex number by a real number:

𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿𝐿 𝑧𝑧 = 𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑎𝑎 𝜖𝜖 𝑹𝑹, 𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒: 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 = 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 + 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎

Example: For 𝑧𝑧 = 6 + 2𝑖𝑖 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 𝑎𝑎 = 3:

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Multiplying Complex Numbers Together

Multipling two complex numbers with each other:

Multiplying complex numbers is similar to multiplying binomials. The difference is that we

have to work with the real and imaginary parts separately and we use the fact that 𝒊𝒊𝟐𝟐 = −𝟏𝟏.

Given complex numbers 𝑧𝑧1 = 𝑥𝑥1 + 𝑦𝑦1 𝑖𝑖 and 𝑧𝑧2 = 𝑥𝑥2 + 𝑦𝑦2 𝑖𝑖, we define the multiplication of
complex numbers with each other:
𝑧𝑧1 ∗ 𝑧𝑧2 = (𝑥𝑥1 + 𝑦𝑦1 𝑖𝑖) ∗ (𝑥𝑥2 + 𝑦𝑦2 𝑖𝑖) = 𝑥𝑥1 𝑥𝑥2 + 𝑥𝑥1 𝑦𝑦2 𝑖𝑖 + 𝑥𝑥2 𝑦𝑦1 𝑖𝑖 + 𝑦𝑦1 𝑦𝑦2 𝒊𝒊𝟐𝟐
= (𝑥𝑥1 𝑥𝑥2 − 𝑦𝑦1 𝑦𝑦2 ) + (𝑥𝑥1 𝑦𝑦2 + 𝑥𝑥2 𝑦𝑦1 )𝑖𝑖

Notice that using the fact that 𝑖𝑖 2 = −1, we got 𝑦𝑦1 𝑦𝑦2 𝑖𝑖 2 = −𝑦𝑦1 𝑦𝑦2 a real number that will be
added tot he real component of the product!

Example: Multiply (4 + 3𝑖𝑖) and(2 − 5𝑖𝑖).

Solution:

(4 + 3𝑖𝑖) ∗ (2 − 5𝑖𝑖) = 8 − (15𝑖𝑖 2 ) + (−20)𝑖𝑖 + 6𝑖𝑖 = 8 + 15 − 14𝑖𝑖 = 23 − 14𝑖𝑖

Definition: (complex conjugate)

For a complex number 𝑧𝑧 = 𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦𝑖𝑖, we define the conjugate of 𝑧𝑧 (notation: 𝑧𝑧) as 𝑧𝑧 = 𝑥𝑥 − 𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦

Example: Find the complex conjugates oft he numbers:

1) 2 − √5𝑖𝑖
2) 12i

Solution:

1) �����������
2 − √5 𝚤𝚤 = 2 + √5𝑖𝑖
2) ����
12𝚤𝚤 = −12𝑖𝑖

Some properties of the conjugates:

1) 𝑧𝑧̿ = 𝑧𝑧
2) 𝑧𝑧 + 𝑧𝑧̅ = 2𝑥𝑥
3) 𝑧𝑧 − 𝑧𝑧̅ = 2𝑦𝑦𝑦𝑦
4) 𝑧𝑧 ∗ 𝑧𝑧̅ = 𝑥𝑥 2 + 𝑦𝑦 2
5) ���������
𝑧𝑧1 + 𝑧𝑧2 = 𝑧𝑧�1 + 𝑧𝑧�2
6) 𝑧𝑧1 ∗ 𝑧𝑧2 = 𝑧𝑧�1 ∗ 𝑧𝑧�2
��������

Dividing Complex Numbers

Division of two complex numbers is more complicated than addition, subtraction, and
multiplication because we cannot divide by an imaginary number, meaning that any fraction
must have a real-number denominator. We will make use of property number 4 above to
achieve this, since it eliminates the imaginary portion of the denominator. All we need to do

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ist to multiply the and devide the qoutient with the conjugate of the denominator as shown in
the following example: We need to find a term by which we can multiply the numerator and
following example:

Example: Divide (2 + 5𝑖𝑖) by (4 − 𝑖𝑖)

Solution:

(2+5𝑖𝑖)
We begin by writing the problem as a fraction: (4−𝑖𝑖)

Then we multiply the numerator and denominator by the complex conjugate of the
denominator.

(2 + 5𝑖𝑖) (4 + 𝑖𝑖) (8 + 2𝑖𝑖 + 20𝑖𝑖 + 5𝑖𝑖22 ) (8 − 5 + 22𝑖𝑖) 𝟑𝟑 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐

∗ = = = +
(4 − 𝑖𝑖) (4 + 𝑖𝑖) (42 + (−1)2 ) 17 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏

Note: that this expresses the quotient in standard form, later we will introduce the polar and
exponential forms for complex numbers which allow us to carry out the division easier than in
the standard form.

Solved Examples:

• Simplify 2i + 3i.

2i + 3i = (2 + 3)i = 5i

• Simplify 16i – 5i.

16i – 5i = (16 – 5)i = 11i

• Multiply and simplify (3i)(4i).

(3𝑖𝑖)(4𝑖𝑖) = (3 · 4)(𝑖𝑖 · 𝑖𝑖) = (12)(𝑖𝑖 2 ) = (12)(– 1) = – 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏

• Multiply and simplify (i)(2i)(–3i).

(𝑖𝑖)(2𝑖𝑖)(– 3𝑖𝑖) = (2 · – 3)(𝑖𝑖 · 𝑖𝑖 · 𝑖𝑖) = (– 6)(𝑖𝑖2 · 𝑖𝑖)

= (– 6)(– 1 · 𝑖𝑖) = (– 6)(– 𝑖𝑖) = 𝟔𝟔𝟔𝟔

• Simplify (𝟐𝟐 + 𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑) + (𝟏𝟏 – 𝟔𝟔𝟔𝟔).

(2 + 3𝑖𝑖) + (1 – 6𝑖𝑖) = (2 + 1) + (3𝑖𝑖 – 6𝑖𝑖) = 3 + (– 3𝑖𝑖) = 𝟑𝟑 – 𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑

• Simplify (𝟓𝟓 – 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐) – (– 𝟒𝟒 – 𝒊𝒊).

(5 – 2𝑖𝑖) – (– 4 – 𝑖𝑖) = (5 – 2𝑖𝑖)– 1(– 4 – 𝑖𝑖)

4
 = 5 – 2𝑖𝑖 – 1(– 4) – 1(– 𝑖𝑖)

= 5 – 2𝑖𝑖 + 4 + 𝑖𝑖 = (5 + 4) + (– 2𝑖𝑖 + 𝑖𝑖)

= (9) + (– 1𝑖𝑖) = 𝟗𝟗 – 𝒊𝒊

• Simplify (2 – i)(3 + 4i).

(2 – 𝑖𝑖)(3 + 4𝑖𝑖) = (2)(3) + (2)(4𝑖𝑖) + (– 𝑖𝑖)(3) + (– 𝑖𝑖)(4𝑖𝑖)

= 6 + 8𝑖𝑖 – 3𝑖𝑖 – 4𝑖𝑖 2 = 6 + 5𝑖𝑖 – 4(– 1)

= 6 + 5𝑖𝑖 + 4 = 𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 + 𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓

𝟑𝟑
• Simplify (𝟐𝟐+ 𝒊𝒊).

3 3 2 − 𝑖𝑖 3(2 − 𝑖𝑖) 6 − 3𝑖𝑖 𝟔𝟔 𝟑𝟑

= = 2 2
= = − 𝒊𝒊
(2 + 𝑖𝑖) (2 + 𝑖𝑖) (2 − 𝑖𝑖) 2 +1 5 𝟓𝟓 𝟓𝟓

• Simplify 𝒊𝒊𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏

𝑖𝑖 13 = (𝑖𝑖)12 𝑖𝑖 = (𝑖𝑖 2 )6 𝑖𝑖 = (−1)6 𝑖𝑖 = 𝒊𝒊

• Simplify 𝒊𝒊𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏 .

(𝑖𝑖)12 = (𝑖𝑖 2 )6 = (−1)6 = 𝟏𝟏