Complex numbers

ENGG 2420C
Complex Analysis and Differential Equations
for Engineers
(slides courtesy Prof. Thierry Blu)

Prof. Mayank Bakshi

e-mail: mayank@ie.cuhk.edu.hk

September 5, 2018

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 1/81

 Complex numbers

Course Information

Lecturer Mayank BAKSHI

SHB 738, x4324, mayank@ie.cuhk.edu.hk

TAs Ankun YU, ya016@ie.cuhk.edu.hk

Ningning DING, dn018@ie.cuhk.edu.hk

Piazza https://piazza.com/cuhk.edu.hk/fall2018/engg2420c

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 2/81

 Complex numbers

Course Outline

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 3/81

 Complex numbers

Preparation for Worksheets

"Homework": You should’ve watched the video sets posted on Piazza before
the week starts
Class work: We will go over the concepts for each Worksheet while solving
them. Do make sure to ask me or the TAs for help if you’ve any doubts.
Group work: You will be solving the worksheet with your group of 2-3
students. Make sure to help out other students in your group as we will reward
good group participation through bonus points.
Take home: Each worksheet will contain a few longer questions for solving at
home. You may return the completed worksheet for the week by 5 PM each
Thursday.

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 4/81

 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Motivation

Many systems can be analyzed much more efficiently if we represent

them using complex numbers.

It is through complex analysis that complex numbers have become

essential to very diverse fields: geometry, communications,
electromagnetism/continuum mechanics.

Example: a system described by a differential equation. We will see such

applications in the second and third parts of this course.

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 7/81

 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Definition of complex numbers

Complex numbers (set ) appeared as an extension of real numbers (set

R) to solve polynomial equations. The modern presentation is to define a
complex number, z as a couple of real numbers (x, y) as
z = x + iy, where i2 = −1

√
Historically, the pure imaginary basis i was written directly as −1;
however, this notation was leading to contradictions like
{ √ √
√ √ −1, from a × a = a
−1 × −1 = √ √ √ √
−1×−1 = 1, from a × b = a × b
The contradiction
√ comes from the ambiguity of the notation: one
notation, −1, but two square roots of −1, i and −i.

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 8/81

 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Algebra of complex numbers Complex numbers enjoy the same structure

as real numbers
commutative addition: z1 + z2 = z2 + z1
commutative multiplication: z1 × z2 = z2 × z1
distributivity of the multiplication: z1 × (z2 + z3 ) = z1 × z2 + z1 × z3
unique inverse: 1/z if z ̸= 0
Additionally, complex-specific operations are available
def
complex conjugation: x +iy = x − iy
 Re {x + iy} def
= x
Real and Imaginary part:  def
Im {x + iy} = y
The complex conjugation satisfies very useful distributive properties
over the addition: z1 + z2 = z̄1 + z̄2
over the multiplication: z1 × z2 = z̄1 × z̄2

NOTE: Re {z} = (z + z̄)/2 and Im {z} = −i(z − z̄)/2

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 9/81
 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Examples

Compute the real and imaginary parts of the following complex numbers
z1 + z2 where z1 = 1 + i and z2 = −2 − i
z1 z2 where z1 = 1 + i and z2 = −2 − i
Re {z1 } − Im {z2 } where z1 = 1 + i and z2 = −2 − i
z̄1 z̄2 where z1 = 1 + i and z2 = −2 − i
1/z1 where z1 = 1 + i
z1 /z̄2 where z1 = 1 + i and z2 = −2 − i

NOTE: Matlab is great for computing natively with complex numbers (in
double precision).

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 10/81

 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Geometrical interpretation

Complex numbers are equivalent to points in a plane: the real part being
the abscissa, and the imaginary part being the ordinate.
imaginary part

y z = x + iy

real part
x

z̄

NOTE: This plane is called “complex plane”.

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 11/81

 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Polar form
The geometrical interpretation suggests using polar coordinates (r, θ) to
represent complex numbers. This defines two new operations on complex
numbers z = x + iy
√
modulus/absolute value: |z| = r = x2 + y 2

 −π < θ ≤ √ π,
argument/phase† : arg z = θ defined by cos θ = x/√ x2 + y 2 ,

sin θ = y/ x2 + y 2 .
imaginary part

y = r sin θ r z = x + iy
=
|z | θ = arg z
real part
x = r cos θ

NOTE: Matlab functions for | · | and arg are abs and angle.
† Always expressed in radians.
Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 12/81
 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Polar form

An explicit expression of arg z depends on the location of z = x + iy:

x<0
x>0 y≥0
x<0
y<0

arg z = arctan(y/x) arg z = π + arctan(y/x) arg z = −π + arctan(y/x)



−π/2, if x = 0 and y < 0
and, otherwise, arg z = π/2, if x = 0 and y > 0


undefined, if x = 0 and y = 0

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 13/81

 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Properties

Properties 
triangle inequality: |z1 + z2 | ≤ |z1 | + |z2 |
|z1 × z2 | = |z1 | × |z2 |
arg(z1 × z2 ) = arg(z1 ) + arg(z2 ) − 2nπ, where the integer n is
chosen so that −π < arg(z1 × z2 ) ≤ π

Exercise: prove these properties by showing that

( )( ) ( )
cos θ1 + i sin θ1 cos θ2 + i sin θ2 = cos(θ1 + θ2 ) + i sin(θ1 + θ2 )

De Moivre’s formula 
(cos θ + i sin θ)n = cos nθ + i sin nθ

Check them with Matlab!

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 14/81
 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Roots of complex numbers

Looking for w such that wn = z amounts to finding the nth roots of z.

There are exactly n such roots:
( ( ( 2kπ + arg z ))
2kπ + arg z )
wk = |z|1/n cos + i sin , k = 0, 1, 2, . . . n − 1
n n

Roots of unity 
2iπ/n
Consider ζ = e then all the nth -roots of 1 are given by
( ) ( )
2kπ 2kπ
k
ζ = cos + i sin , k = 0, 1, 2, . . . n − 1.
n n
As a consequence, all the nth -roots of a complex number z can be
expressed as
i arg z
wk = |z|1/n e n ζk, k = 0, 1, 2, . . . n − 1.
| {z }
w0

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 16/81

 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Exercises

Compute the modulus, phase, real part and imaginary part of the
following complex numbers
z 3 , if z = 1 + i
z −1 , if z = 1 + 2i
z1 /z2 , if z1 = 1 + 2i and z2 = 1 + i
fourth root of −1
square root of z1 z̄2 where z1 = 1 + 2i and z2 = 1 + i

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 17/81

 Geometry of complex numbers
Complex numbers Modulus and phase
Properties of Complex Numbers

Important Announcement

Tutorial for ALL GROUPS tomorrow (Sep 6) will be held in ERB

407.
We will go over a placement quiz and some background materials
that will be important for later classes.
Attendance is MANDATORY.

Prof. Mayank Bakshi ENGG 2420C 18/81