Trigonometry : Complex Numbers/Polar Form

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Trigonometry

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Example Questions

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Example Question #6 : Complex Numbers

Simplify .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To solve this problem, make sure you set it up to multiply the entire parentheses by itself (a common mistake it to try to simply distribute the exponent 2 to each of the terms in the parentheses.)

 (recall that )

 

Please note that while the answer choice  is not incorrect, it is not fully simplified and therefore not the correct choice.

Example Question #7 : Complex Numbers

What is the complex conjugate of 5? What is the complex conjugate of 3i?

Possible Answers:

Complex conjugates do not exist for these terms

Correct answer:

Explanation:

While these terms may not look like they follow the typical format of , don't let them fool you! We can read 5 as  and we can read 3i as . Now recalling that the complex conjugate of  is , we can see that the complex conjugate of  is just  and the complex conjugate of  is 

Example Question #8 : Complex Numbers

Perform division on the following expression by utilizing a complex conjugate:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To perform division on complex numbers, multiple both the numerator and the denominator of the fraction by the complex conjugate of the denominator. This looks like:

Example Question #9 : Complex Numbers

Which of the following represents  graphically?

Possible Answers:

Screen shot 2020 08 04 at 12.40.28 pm

Screen shot 2020 08 04 at 12.45.00 pm

Screen shot 2020 08 04 at 12.38.00 pm

Screen shot 2020 08 04 at 12.44.20 pm

Correct answer:

Screen shot 2020 08 04 at 12.38.00 pm

Explanation:

To represent complex numbers graphically, we treat the x-axis as the "axis of reals" and the y-axis as the "axis of imaginaries." To plot , we want to move 6 units on the x-axis and -3 units on the y-axis. We can plot the point P to represent , but we can also represent it by drawing a vector from the origin to point P. Both representations are in the diagram below. 

Screen shot 2020 08 04 at 12.38.00 pm

Example Question #10 : Complex Numbers

The following graph represents which one of the following?

Screen shot 2020 08 04 at 1.04.02 pm

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We can take any complex number  and graph it as a vector, measuring  units in the x direction and  units in the y direction. Therefore . Likewise, . Then, we can add these two vectors together, summing their real parts and their imaginary parts to create their resultant vector . Therefore the correct answer is .

Example Question #11 : Complex Numbers

The following graph represents which one of the following?


Screen shot 2020 08 04 at 1.05.05 pm

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The above image is a graphic representation of subtraction of complex numbers (which are represented by vectors  and . We can take any complex number  and graph it as a vector, measuring  units in the x direction and  units in the y direction. Therefore . Likewise, .

To help us visualize subtraction, instead of thinking about taking , we should instead visualize . The below figure shows  with a dotted line. Visually, the resultant vector  lies in between the vectors  and . Algebraically, we get   or  . Either way you think about it, the resulting vector is 

 

Screen shot 2020 08 04 at 1.05.55 pm

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