ComplexPlane

No,notthiscomplexplane...

...thiscomplexplane:

Itisaplaneforcomplexnumbers!

(Itisalsocalledan"ArgandDiagram")

Real and Imaginary make Complex

A ComplexNumber isacombinationofaRealNumberandanImaginaryNumber.
Letmeexplain...

A RealNumber isthetypeofnumberyouareusedtodealingwitheveryday.
Examples:12.38,,0,2000

Withrealnumberswecandothingslikesquaring(multiplyanumberbyitself):
22=4
Butwhatcanwesquaretoget4(minus4)?

??=4
Well,2won'tworkbecause multiplyingnegativesgivesapositive :(2)(2)=+4,andnoother
RealNumberworkseither.
Soitseemsthatmathematicsisincomplete...
...butwecanfillthegapbyimaginingthereisanumberthat,whenmultipliedbyitself,gives1
(callitiforimaginary):

i2=1
Now,wecandothis:
2i2i=4i2=4(1)=4

An ImaginaryNumber ,when squared givesanegativeresult

.
Examples:5i,3.6i,i/2,500i

Andtogether:

A ComplexNumber isacombinationofaRealNumberandanImaginary
Number
Examples:3.6+4i,0.02+1.2i,250.3i,0+2i

The Complex Plane

Youmaybefamiliarwiththe numberline :

Butwheredoweputacomplexnumberlike3+4i?
Let'shavetherealnumberlinegoingleftrightasusual,andanimaginarynumberlinegoingup
down:
Andwecanplotacomplexnumberlike3+4i:

Itisplaced
3unitsalong(therealaxis),
and4unitsup(theimaginaryaxis).

Andhereis42i:
Itisplaced
4unitsalong(therealaxis),
and2unitsdown(theimaginaryaxis).

Andthatisthecomplexplane:
complexbecauseitisacombinationofrealandimaginary,
planebecauseitislikeageometricplane(2dimensional).

Whole New World

Nowwecanbringtheideaofaplane( Cartesiancoordinates , Polarcoordinates , Vectors and
more)tocomplexnumbers,andweopenupawholenewworldofnumbersthataremorecomplete
andelegant,asyouwillsee.

Complex Number as a Vector

Youcanthinkofacomplexnumberasbeinga vector .

Thisisavector.
Ithasmagnitude(length)anddirection.

Andhereisthecomplexnumber3+4i
asaVector:

Youcanaddcomplexnumbersasvectors,too:

Hereweaddthecomplexnumbers3+5iand43iasvectors:
Addtherealnumbers,addtheimaginarynumbers,likethis:
(3+5i)+(43i)=3+4+(53)i=7+2i

Polar Form

Again,hereisthecomplexnumber3+4i
AsaVector:

Hereitisagain(stillasavector),but
Inpolarform:

Sothecomplexnumber3+4icanalsobeshownasdistance(5)andangle(0.927radians).
Howdoyoudotheconversions?

Example:thenumber3+4i
Wecandoa CartesiantoPolarconversion :
r=(x2+y2)=(32+42)=25=5
=tan1(y/x)=tan1(4/3)=0.927(to3decimals)

WecanalsotakePolarcoordinatesandconvertthemtoCartesiancoordinates:
x=rcos()=5cos(0.927)=50.6002...=3(closeenough)
y=rsin()=5sin(0.927)=50.7998...=4(closeenough)

Infact,acommonwaytowriteacomplexnumberinPolarformis
x+iy=rcos+irsin=r(cos+isin)
And"cos+isin"getsshortenedto"cis"
So3+4i=5cis0.927

Summary
Thecomplexplaneisaplanewith:
realnumbersrunningleftrightand
imaginarynumbersrunningupdown.

ToconvertfromCartesiantoPolarForm:
r=(x2+y2)
=tan1(y/x)

ToconvertfromPolartoCartesianForm:
x=rcos()
y=rsin()
Next...learnabout ComplexNumberMultiplication .

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