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Mathematics
Worksheet Complex Numbers
This is one of a series of worksheets produced to help you increase your confidence
in handling Mathematics. This worksheet contains both theory and exercises which
cover:-

1. Introduction 2. Argand Diagram

3. The four rules 4. Modulus-Argument form
5. Roots

There are often different ways of doing things in Mathematics and the methods
suggested in the worksheets may not be the ones you were taught. If you are
successful and happy with the methods you use it may not be necessary for you to
change them. If you have problems or need help in any part of the work then there
are a number of ways you can get help.

For students at the University of Hull

 Ask your lecturers
 Contact the Study Advice Service on the ground floor of the Brynmor Jones
Library where you can access the Mathematics Tutor, or contact us by email
 Come to a Drop-In session organised for your department
 Look at one of the many textbooks in the library.

For others
 Ask your lecturers
 Access your Study Advice or Maths Help Service
 Use any other facilities that may be available.

If you do find anything you may think is incorrect (in the text or answers) or want
further help please contact us by email.

Tel: 01482 466199

Web: www.hull.ac.uk/studyadvice
Email: [email protected]
1. What are Complex Numbers?
You should know that the solution of the quadratic equation is given by
The term discriminates between the three possibilities:-

if the equation has 2 distinct real roots

if the equation has two equal real roots
if the equation has no real roots.

Solving the equation using the formula gives

So far these roots have been ignored and described as not real but by using
to represent we can write the solution to the above equation as . Using
this technique means that we can solve ALL quadratic equations.

Mathematicians use to represent while many others use , as we shall here.

Note as then , , etc.

Numbers such as are called complex numbers with real part and
imaginary part . NOTE is the imaginary part NOT .

2. Argand diagram
Complex numbers can be shown on co-ordinate axes - called an Argand diagram
with the real numbers on the -axis and the imaginary numbers on the -axis,
being shown as the point ( ).
y
P(x, y)
In the diagram P( ) represents
the complex number

This implies that if O

x
then and must be the
same point which can only be true if
and .

This leads to a very important statement:-

For two complex numbers to be
equal both the real and imaginary
parts must be equal.

3. The Four Rules

Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of complex numbers are defined so
that they comply with normal algebra.

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Addition:
Subtraction:

Multiplication:

Note ie factors of are

Also

Conjugates
If then is called the conjugate of and denoted by .

ie both and are real.

When solving quadratic equations with real coefficients the roots are always in
conjugate pairs.

For instance consider the quadratic equation

The solution is

The roots and are of the form which are

conjugates. It can be proved that this is always the case as long as the coefficients
and are real.

Note that, given equation is ,

with solution then it can be shown that the

sum of the roots is and the product .

This is true for both real and complex roots.

Division:
To divide two complex numbers multiply both the numerator and the denominator by
the conjugate of the denominator. This makes the denominator real as is real
for all complex numbers .
Divide by
The conjugate of is hence

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Examples
1. Given that ,
(i) Express the following in the form a) ; b) ; c) ; d)
(ii) If find the values of and

(i) a)

b)

or, using the binomial theorem,

(ii)
Þ

Equate real parts

Equate imaginary parts
Solving the equations together gives
Alternative method write and use division method as in (i) (c)

2. Find the square root of

Let the square root of be with and real

Squaring

Equating real parts (i)

Equating imaginary parts (ii)

From (ii) sub into (i)

Multiply through by
Rearrange & factorise

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 giving
but b is real (stated above) hence
using gives when & when

so the square roots of are and

Exercise 1
1. Given find

2. Find the square roots of (i) , (ii)

4. Modulus - Argument form

a) If we represent the complex number
by the point in the P(x, y)
y
Argand diagram, then the length OP is
called the modulus of and is written r
as

Note by putting , this is consistent


O x
with the definition of for real numbers.

The angle between the positive direction of the -axis and OP ( radians) is called
the argument of . The angle should always be given such that and is
written as arg or arg ( ).
This gives cos = and sin =

 , and

hence which is called the modulus

argument form. [Note you can also have the Euler form ]

Multiplication and division are a lot easier if the Complex numbers are in mod-arg
form but addition and subtraction are easier when they are in Cartesian form.

b) Multiplication & division using mod-arg form

a) Multiplication

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Given

then

multiplying out gives

This uses the trig identities for and that you should know.

In the Euler form , giving

or from

but you do need to check that the angle is in the correct range !
For example if then, in the range, we would write arg( )=

Division:
In the same way we can show that

z 
And arg 1   arg( z1 )  arg( z 2 )
 z2 
again it is important to check that the angle is in the correct range.

b) Value of

Given
Then, from above,
And

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De Moivre developed this further and proved that
z n  r n cos n  j sin n  for all values of .

This is fairly obvious for positive integer values of , but it can be proved for negative
values (see Example 2(a) below) and, with care, for fractional values.

Examples
1. Given
(a) Express and in modulus-argument form
and then
(b) find (in modulus-argument form) (i) (ii) , (iii)
and hence
(c) find the values of in surd form

1 (a) There are at least two methods for this

Method 1 – the safest & best! Draw a diagram:

From the diagram, using

triangle PON, by Pythagoras,
OP = 2 and, by trigonometry
angle PON= N

hence angle POx =

this gives
similarly

Method 2 Let
then
equate real parts
and imaginary parts
Squaring and adding gives
hence cos = , sin = -
Þ cos = , sin = - giving

so as before

Note from section 4 we could have said and but you really
need the diagram to be sure you have the correct value for .

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 y
(b) (i)



But the argument of a complex number x

cannot be greater than hence from the 

diagram

(ii)

hence

(iii)

hence

(c) from part (i) (A)

comparing (A) & (B)

equating real and imaginary parts:

real: imaginary:

;
Example 2. Use De Moivre’s Theorem to, simplify

(a) (b) (c)

(a)

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If De Moivre’s theorem works for negative indices we’d get

But this is the same as above, so De Moivre’s theorem works for negative indices.

(b) By De Moivre’s Theorem

(c) Using De Moivre’s theorem

Exercise 2

5. Given the complex number , where and are real numbers, find and
in terms of and . Verify that and .

6. (i) By writing , (with and real), solve the equation

(ii) Express and in modulus-argument form and verify that

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 ,

5. Roots of Unity and Roots of Complex Numbers

If then
factorising
hence or
Solving leads to
The 3 cube roots of unity are

The roots are often written as 1, and where

And as is a solution of then

also is a solution so as

In Modulus-Argument form:
Let be a cube root of 1 then

equating real and imaginary parts gives

(where & are integers).

giving in the range -

The values, outside the range , are repeats of the values you already have.
For example is equivalent to etc.

which is the same as before (mathematics is consistent)!

y
If the 3 roots are put on an Argand Diagram the 
lines from the origin to the 3 points representing
x
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1

2
the complex roots are at angles of or 120o to
each other. Points representing w and w2 are
reflections of each other in the -axis as they
are conjugates.
Note the labels and can be interchanged.
1
If then which factorises into
giving
x
so the 4 fourth roots of 1 are 1, -1, , and on the -1 y 1
Argand diagram we have the points representing the
4 fourth roots at (1, 0), (-1, 0), (0, 1) and (0, -1)
and the lines from the origin to the points are at -1
angles of 90o to each other.

Examples
1. If is a complex cube root of 1, simplify
If is a complex cube root of 1 then and
Hence and
giving
Or: multiply out:
.

2. If is any complex eighth root of 1 show that is real

In mod-arg form or ( an integer)
If is an eigth root of unity then w8 = 1 =
by De Moivre’s Theorem for to 7
Or, to get the argument correct, take as –3 to 4, but for all values of :

But
and
hence which is real.

3. Find the 5 fifth roots of unity and put them on an Argand diagram.

Let be a fifth root of 1 then

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Solving for q in the range -p < q £ p to y
z1
give distinct values of cosq + j sinq
z2
gives
z5
and the 5 fifth roots of 1 are x

z3

z4

Note that and are conjugates as

are and

6. The nth roots of

Assume that is an th root of

taking gives roots (though you need to check that )

Hence there are distinct th roots of , with successive arguments

differing by where the one root has argument .

It can further be shown that the distinct th roots of have modulus

and arguments as above.

Examples
1. Find the cube roots of and mark the point and its cube roots on an
Argand diagram.
On page 6 example 1 showed that =2
let r(cos q +j sin q) be a cube root of
then r3(cos q +j sin q)3 = r3(cos 3q +j sin 3q) = 2
=2 for integer values of k

Þ and
Þ and for

So there are 3 distinct cube roots of

A
as shown on the diagram. A is the z2
z3
11
O

z1
point

The points lie on the circumference of a circle

of radius
and the angle between the lines z1, z2 etc. are or 120o.
Note as is not real the roots are not in conjugate pairs.

2. Find the 5 fifth roots of –1 and hence prove that

If is a fifth root of -1

then

for integer values of

Þ and

Þ and

Þ and for

The 5 fifth roots of -1 are y

z2
z1

Note that as -1 is real then the roots are in conjugate z3

x
pairs and , and .
z5
The roots above are solutions of the equation z4

The complex roots are the solutions of

Substitute the root

Hence by De Moivre’s Theorem

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Using and gives

Exercise 3
1. Use De Moivre’s Theorem to find the (i) square roots, (ii) the cube roots of
(a) (b) (c)

2. If is a complex cube root of unity simplify

3. If is a complex fifth root of unity simplify

4. If is one of the complex cube roots of –1 show that the roots can denoted by –
1, and . Prove that .

5. Find the 7 seventh roots of –1 and prove that

ANSWERS
Exercise 1
1. (i) (ii) 6 (iii) (iv) (v) (vi)
(vii) (viii) (ix) 0 (x) (xi) (xii)
2. (i) and (ii) and

Exercise 2

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Exercise 3
1. In each case the modulus and the relevant arguments are given.
Square roots: (a) (b) (c)
Cube roots:(a) (b) (c)
2. 31 3.
4. Roots are
5. Roots are

We would appreciate your comments on this worksheet, especially if

you’ve found any errors, so that we can improve it for future use. Please
contact the Maths tutor by email at [email protected]
updated 29th November 2004

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alternative format on request. Telephone 01482 466199

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