Introduction to Complex Numbers
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:- Express square roots of negative numbers as multiples of [latex]i[/latex].
- Plot complex numbers on the complex plane.
- Add and subtract complex numbers.
- Multiply and divide complex numbers.
[latex]{x}^{2}+4=0[/latex]
Our best guesses might be +2 or –2. But if we test +2 in this equation, it does not work. If we test –2, it does not work. If we want to have a solution for this equation, we will have to go farther than we have so far. After all, to this point we have described the square root of a negative number as undefined. Fortunately there is another system of numbers that provides solutions to problems such as these. In this section we will explore this number system and how to work within it.Licenses & Attributions
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- Revision and Adaptation. Provided by: Lumen Learning License: CC BY: Attribution.
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- College Algebra. Provided by: OpenStax Authored by: Abramson, Jay et al.. License: CC BY: Attribution. License terms: Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected].
CC licensed content, Specific attribution
- College Algebra. Provided by: OpenStax Authored by: OpenStax College Algebra. Located at: https://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:1/Preface. License: CC BY: Attribution.