Grade 9

Unit - 5
- Complex Numbers -

Üsküdar American Academy

Mathematics Department
GRADE 9

Objectives:
By the end of this unit, you’ll be able to:

1. Define complex numbers

2. Add and subtract complex numbers

3. Multiply and divide complex numbers

4. Find the complex conjugate of a number

5. Simplify expressions involving complex numbers

6. Solve equations with complex numbers

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GRADE 9

Complex Numbers:
Definition: We extend the real number system to a larger system called the complex
number system.
A complex number can be presented by an expression of the form a + bi where a and b are
the real numbers and i is the symbol with the property that i2 = −1.
In order to represent a complex number, we use letter z:

z = a + bi

a is the real part of the complex number:

Re(z) = a

b is the imaginary part of the complex number:

Im(z) = b

Examples:

1. Write an imaginary and real part of the each complex number,

(a) z = 3 − 2i (c) z = 8
√
(b) z = −5i (d) z = −49 − 4

Equal Complex Numbers:

Two complex numbers z1 = a + bi and z2 = c + di are equal if and only if their real parts
are equal and their imaginary parts are equal.
i.e z1 = a + bi = c + di = z2 if and only if a = c and b = d.

Examples:

1. 3y + yi = 2i − xi + x then find (x, y).

2. 5x + 3i − iy + 4 = 2x − 5i + 3xi − 7 then find (x, y).

3. (2x − y) − (x + 3y)i = 7 then find (x, y).

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GRADE 9

Operations with Complex Numbers:

Adding and Subtracting Complex Numbers:

The sum and difference of complex numbers are defined by adding or subtracting their real
parts and their imaginary parts:
For all real numbers a, b, c, and d

(a + bi) + (c + di) = (a + c) + (b + d)i

(a + bi) − (c + di) = (a − c) + (b − d)i

Examples:

1. Write the sum or difference of two complex numbers in standard form

(a) (1 − 4i) + (3 − 8i) (c) (4 + 3i) − (5 − i)

√ √
(b) (5 + 12i) − (7 − 3i) (d) (3 − −9) + (4 − −16)

2. If (3 − xi) + (y + 4i) = (x + 1) − (2y − 3)i, then find (x, y).

Multiplying Complex Numbers:

The product of complex numbers is defined so that the usual commutative and distributive
laws hold:
For all real numbers a, b, c, and d

(a + ib) · (c + id) = (ac − bd) + (ab + bc)i

Since,

(a + bi) · (c + di) = ac + adi + bci + bdi2

= ac + adi + bci − bd
= (ac − bd) + (ad + bc)i

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GRADE 9

Examples:

1. Write the following products in standard form:

(a) (2 − 6i) · (3 + 5i)

(b) (3 + 4i) · (7 − 2i)

√ √
2. Given z1 = 3 − −121 and z2 = −64 − 5, calculate

(a) z1 − z2

(b) z1 + z2

(c) 2z1

(d) −3z2

(e) z1 · z2

Note:
√ √ p
−4 · −9 6= (−4) · (−9)
√ √
−4 · −9 = 2i · 3i = 6i2 = −6

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GRADE 9

The Conjugate of a Complex Number:

You find the complex conjugate simply by changing the sign of the imaginary part of the
complex number.
If z = a + bi, then the conjugate (or complex conjugate) of z is denoted by z and defined
by,
z = a + bi = a − bi.

Examples:

1. Find the conjugate of each,

(a) z = 3 + 2i

(b) z = 3i − 2

(c) z = 4i

(d) z = 5

2. Find the product z · z for each complex number,

(a) z = 1 + 6i

(b) z = 3 − 4i

(c) z = 3i

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GRADE 9

Complex Conjugate Product Theorem:

If z = a + bi, then
z · z = a2 + b2

Dividing Complex Numbers:

If z1 = a + bi and z2 = c + di, then

z1 a + bi (a + bi) · (c − di)
= =
z2 c + di c2 + d2
Examples:

1. Write the following quotients in standard form.

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(a)
1 − 2i

−3i
(b)
4 − 3i

2 − 3i
(c)
4 + 6i

Powers of i:
i=i
i2 = −1
i3 = −i
i4 = 1

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GRADE 9

Examples:

1. Simplify;

(a) i25

(b) i99

(c) i2 + i3 + i4 + . . . + i121

(d) (1 + i)30

(e) (1 − i)101

√ √
(f) ( 5 − 2i)20 · ( 5 + 2i)20

 10  9
−1 + i 1 + 2i
2. Simplify, +
1−i 2−i

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GRADE 9

3. If (z − 1)(1 − i) = 1 + i then find z.

4. If z = z(1 + i) + 3 − 8i then find z.

5. If 2z + 3(z − 4) − zi = 1 − i then find Re(z).

6. If (2 − i)z = 1 − z then find Re(z) + Im(z).

(i9 − 2i3 )2
7. Simplify .
9i3

8. Solve z + 2z = 6 − 4i for z.

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GRADE 9

Complex Plane:
A complex number can be represented as a point in the complex plane. Like the
coordinate plane, the complex plane has two axes, a horizontal real axis for the real part,
and a vertical imaginary axis for the imaginary part. So, plotting the complex number
x + yi on the complex plane is the same as plotting the point (x, y) in the Cartesian
coordinate plane.

Examples:

1. Let w = 2 + 3i. Plot w, w, and −w on the complex plane.

2. For any complex number z, how is z related to z on the complex plane? How is z
related to −z on the complex plane?

3. Let w = 2 + 4i and z = 3 − 2i. Plot w, z, and w + z on the complex plane. Connect

the origin to the w, then connect w to w + z, then connect w + z to z, then connect
z to the origin. Notice anyting interesting?

4. What is the distance between 3 + 4i and the origin in the complex plane?

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GRADE 9

Definition:
Just as we use |x| to denote the distance between a real number x and 0 on the number
line, we use |z| to represent the distance between z and the origin on the complex plane.
We call |z| the magnitude of z.
The magnitude of z, denoted by |z|, equals the distance from z to the origin on the
complex plane. If z = a + bi, we have
p
|z| = a2 + b2

.
Examples:

1. Find the magnitude of each of the following complex numbers:

(a) 24 − 7i

√
(b) 2 + 2 3i

(c) (1 + 2i)(2 + i)

2. Evaluate |5 − 12i| and |3 − 3i.

3. Suppose w = 3 − 5i and z = −2 + 7i. Find |w − z|. Find the distance between w and
z on the complex plane. Notice anyting interesting?

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