Lecture 1: Introduction to complex numbers

Sep. 4th week/Oct 1st week, 2014

Lecturer: Chandra Vaidyanathan
1 Introduction to complex numbers
Denition 1. A number of the form z = x+iy, where the numbers x and y are real numbers and i =

1,
is called a complex number.
x = Re(z) is the real part of the complex number and y = Im(z), the imaginary part. z can also be
represented as r(cos + i sin ). This is the polar form of a complex number. The quantity r =

x
2
+ y
2
,
is called the modulus of the complex number,|z| and = tan
1
y
x
, is the amplitude or arguement of the
complex number, arg(z). Thus, z = x + iy = re
i
, where e
i
= cos + i sin , is the Eulers identity.
EXAMPLE: 1.1. Suppose z = (1 cos ) + i sin , its representation in the polar form can be found out
as follows:
r =

(1 cos )
2
+ sin
2
=

2(1 cos ) = 2 sin(/2).

= tan
1
(
sin
1 cos
) = tan
1
(cot(/2)) =

2


2
Remark 1. If we are given the modulus r and amplitude , of a complex number, we can nd the real and
the complex parts, by setting x = r cos and y = r sin .
QUESTION: 1.1. Find the modulus and amplitude of (i)
(3

2i)
2
1 + 2i
(ii)
4 + 2i
2 3i
.
QUESTION: 1.2. Express the following in the form x + iy:
(i)
(1 + i)(2 + i)
3 + i
(ii)
(1 + i)(1 + 3i)
1 + 5i
(iii) 2 + 3i +
1
1 i
QUESTION: 1.3. Express the complex number in polar form:
(i)

3 + i
(ii)1 i

3
(iii)
1
(2 + 1)
2

1
(2 1)
2
(iv) 1 + sin + i cos
1
One of the most remarkable results in theory of complex variable is De Moivres theorem, which we
now state and prove.
Theorem 1. If n is any integer, then (cos + i sin )
n
= cos(n) + i sin(n). If n is a rational number
which is not an integer, then one of the values of (cos + i sin )
n
is cos(n) + i sin(n).
Proof: We prove the statement for positive integers by induction rst, from which the other cases follow:
When k = 1, (cos + i sin )
k
= cos + i sin . Now, assume the result to be true for all k n 1.
When k = n, (cos + i sin )
k
= (cos + i sin )
n1
(cos + i sin ) = (cos(n 1) + i sin(n
1))(cos +i sin ) = (cos(n1) cos sin(n1) sin ) +i(sin(n1) cos +cos(n1) sin =
(cos(n) + i sin(n))
When n is negative, i.e., n = m, for some positive integer m, we have (cos + i sin )
n
= (cos +
i sin )
m
=

(cos + i sin )
1

m
=

1
cos + i sin

m
= (cos i sin )
m
= cos m i sin m =
cos n + i sin n.
When n = 0, we have (cos +i sin )
0
= 1 = cos 0+i sin 0. The statement of DeMoivres theorem is now
established for all integers.
When n = p/q, where p is any integer and q is a positive integer, (cos

q
+ i sin

q
)
q
= (cos + i sin ).
This means one of the values of (cos + i sin )
1/q
is (cos(/q) + sin(/q)). Raising to the power p, from
DeMoivres theorem for integers, we get (cos + i sin )
p/q
= (cos(
p
q
) + sin(
p
q
)) .
Remark 2. Note that (cos +i sin )(cos +i sin ) = cos(+)+i sin(+). This makes multiplying
two complex in polar form very easy. Suppose, we have, z
1
= r
1
(cos
1
+ i sin
1
) and z
2
= r
2
(cos
2
+
i sin
2
), then z
1
z
2
= r
1
r
2
(cos(
1
+
2
) + i sin(
1
+
2
)).
QUESTION: 1.4. Simplify
(cos 3 + i sin 3)
4
(cos 4 i sin 4)
5
(cos 4 + i sin 4)
3
(cos 5 + i sin 5)
4
Hint: Use DeMoivres theorem to express every term as power of (cos + i sin ).
QUESTION: 1.5. Prove that
(1 + cos + i sin )
n
+ (1 + cos i sin )
n
= 2
n+1
cos
n
(/2)(cos n/2)
Hint: Express (1 + cos + i sin ) in polar form.
QUESTION: 1.6. If 2 cos = x +
1
x
, prove that
(i)2 cos r = x
r
+ 1/x
r
(ii)
x
2n
+ 1
x
2n1
+ x
=
cos n
cos(n 1)
Hint: Solve for x.
QUESTION: 1.7. If sin + sin + sin = cos + cos + cos = 0, prove that
(i) sin 2 + sin 2 + sin 2 = 0
(ii) sin 3 + sin 3 + sin 3 = 3 sin( + + )
Hint: Set a = (cos +i sin ), b = (cos +i sin ), c = (cos +i sin ) and compute the quantities
a + b + c and
1
a
+
1
b
+
1
c
.
2