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De Moivre's Theorem and Roots of Unity

The document discusses De Moivre's theorem and how it can be used to find nth roots of complex numbers. It provides examples of using De Moivre's theorem to find cube roots, fourth roots, and sixth roots of various complex numbers. The key steps are to write the complex number in polar form, then the nth roots are found by taking the nth root of the modulus and dividing the argument by n. Roots of unity, which are complex numbers where zn = 1, are also discussed and examples are provided of finding the cube and fourth roots of unity.

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211 views6 pages

De Moivre's Theorem and Roots of Unity

The document discusses De Moivre's theorem and how it can be used to find nth roots of complex numbers. It provides examples of using De Moivre's theorem to find cube roots, fourth roots, and sixth roots of various complex numbers. The key steps are to write the complex number in polar form, then the nth roots are found by taking the nth root of the modulus and dividing the argument by n. Roots of unity, which are complex numbers where zn = 1, are also discussed and examples are provided of finding the cube and fourth roots of unity.

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  • De Moivre's theorem and roots
  • Strategy for finding cube roots
  • Finding nth roots
  • Roots of unity
  • Cube and fourth roots on Argand diagram
  • Solution of polynomial equation

De Moivre's theorem and nth roots

De Moivre's theorem is not only true for the integers but can be extended to fractions. De Moivre's theorem for fractional powers

= Example 1 Calculate By De Moivre's theorem for fractional powers

Example 2 Calculate By De Moivre's theorem = Example 3 Using De Moivre's theorem calculate De Moivre's theorem gives = 2 3 + 2i =

The previous worked example showed that is a cube root of That is, This cube root is obtained by dividing the argument of the original number by 3 However, the cube roots of are complex numbers z which satisfy z3 = 1 and so by the Fundamental theorem of algebra, since this equation is of degree 3, there should be 3 roots. That is, in general, a complex number should have 3 cube roots. Given a complex number these 3 cube roots can always be found

Strategy for finding the cube roots of a complex number Write the complex number in polar form z = r (cos + i sin ) Write z in two more equivalent alternative ways by adding 2 to the argument. z = r {cos ( + 2 ) + i sin ( + 2 )} z = r {cos ( + 4 ) + i sin ( + 4 )} Write down the cube roots of z by taking the cube root of r and dividing each of the arguments by 3

NB: the previous strategy gives the three cube roots as

If z = r (cos + i sin ) is written in any further alternative ways such as z = r {cos ( + 6 ) + i sin ( + 6 )}, this gives a cube root of

which is the same as one of the previously mentioned roots. It is impossible to find any more. Example 4 Find the cube roots of 1 + i First express 1 + i in polar form

and arg (1 + i) = Hence1 + i can be expressed as But 1 + i can also be expressed as

Hence, taking the cube root of the modulus and dividing the argument by 3, the cube roots of 1 + i are

In this way the nth roots of any complex number can be found. Example 5 Find the cube roots of z = 64(cos 30 + i sin 30) Answer: This is in polar form. Use 2 = 360 and 4 = 720 z = 64(cos 30 + i sin 30) z can also be written as z = 64{cos (30 + 360) + i sin (30 + 360)} and z = 64{cos (30 + 720) + i sin (30 + 720)} , the cube roots of z are Since 4(cos 10 + i sin 10), 4(cos 130 + i sin 130), 4(cos 250 + i sin 250)

Example 6 Find the fourth roots of 81i, that is of z= z= z= z= =3 The fourth roots of are

Example 7 Find the sixth roots of The modulus of

3+i

3 + i is 2 and the argument is , , and , ,

The sixth roots are

It is easy and important to find the nth roots of 1 i.e. complex numbers such that zn = 1 Such numbers are often referred to as the nth roots of unity. Roots of unity The nth roots of unity are those numbers that satisfy the equation zn = 1

Since 1 = cos 2 + i sin 2 , it follows that is an nth root of unity. But 1 can be written using different arguments as follows:

Hence dividing the argument in each case by n gives the following nth roots of unity.

Note that arguments increase by

each time. The roots of unity are regularly spaced in an Argand diagram.

Example 8 Find the cube roots of unity and plot them on an Argand diagram. Answer: Since 1 can be written in polar form as 1 = cos 2 + i sin 2 1 = cos 4 + i sin 4 1 = cos 6 + i sin 6 the cube roots of unity are z= z= = =

=1 z= On the Argand diagram

Example 9 Find the fourth roots of unity and plot them on an Argand diagram. The solutions are z = cos 0 + i sin 0 , i.e. z = 1, -1, i and -i On an Argand diagram this gives , cos + i sin and

Example 10 Find the solutions of the equation z6 - 1 = 0. Plot the answers on an Argand diagram. The solutions are cos 0 + i sin 0, and The Argand diagram gives , , cos + i sin ,

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Common questions

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The nth roots of unity are complex numbers that satisfy the equation z^n = 1. These roots are spaced regularly in the Argand diagram. For instance, the cube roots of unity are evenly distributed on the unit circle in the complex plane, and this pattern is consistent for any n. Each root is separated by an angle of 2π/n radians (or 360°/n degrees).

To find the cube roots of z = 64(cos 30° + i sin 30°) using De Moivre's theorem, express z in terms of its argument increased by 360° multiples: cos(30°), cos(390°), cos(750°). Divide these by 3 to find the resulting angles: 10°, 130°, and 250°. Solve each for the cube roots with modulus 64^(1/3) = 4, resulting in 4(cos 10° + i sin 10°), 4(cos 130° + i sin 130°), and 4(cos 250° + i sin 250°).

The fourth roots of unity are found by solving the equation z^4 = 1. In polar form, 1 can be represented as cos(0) + i sin(0). The roots are determined by dividing the angle 0 by 4, giving the roots: 1 (0°), i (90°), -1 (180°), and -i (270°). These roots correspond to points on the Argand diagram at these angles on the unit circle .

The cube roots of unity, as derived from De Moivre's theorem, are evenly spaced on the unit circle in the complex plane. They are represented geometrically as the vertices of an equilateral triangle centered at the origin. These roots, with their arguments spaced by 120° (or 2π/3 radians), exemplify the symmetry and periodicity fundamental in complex analysis .

Understanding the nth roots of unity is fundamental in complex analysis because they underpin various mathematical fields, including number theory, Fourier transforms, and signal processing. These roots demonstrate the periodicity and symmetric properties of powers of complex numbers, providing insight into polynomial equations, discrete Fourier transforms, and other algorithms that utilize symmetry and repetition. Their representation on the Argand diagram offers a visual understanding of complex relationships .

To apply De Moivre's theorem for finding the sixth roots of 3 + i, one must first express 3 + i in polar form. The modulus is √10 and the argument is arctan(1/3) or approximately 18.43°. The sixth roots are found by taking the sixth root of the modulus and dividing the argument and its equivalents (adding 360° multiple times) by 6. This results in six roots, each corresponding to the angles 18.43°/6, 78.43°/6, ... around the circle .

De Moivre's theorem for fractional powers allows for the systematic calculation of roots of complex numbers, which is crucial for complex analysis. The theorem simplifies complex-number arithmetic by transforming the problem into polar coordinates, allowing operations such as exponentiation to be performed easily. It facilitates finding all nth roots and highlights the periodic nature and symmetry of these roots within the complex plane .

De Moivre's theorem can be extended to calculate the cube roots of a complex number by first expressing the number in polar form as z = r (cos θ + i sin θ). To find the cube roots, divide the argument θ by 3. Also, add multiples of 2π (360°) to θ, thereby getting expressions: θ + 2π and θ + 4π. These expressions lead to three cube roots which correspond to the polar forms with modified arguments. For example, for z = 1 + i, the cube roots are determined by first expressing it in polar form and then applying these transformations .

The polar form simplifies the calculation of complex roots by expressing the number as a magnitude and angle (r, θ), which allows for direct application of De Moivre’s theorem. This circumvents the need for complex algebraic manipulations required in Cartesian coordinates, enabling easier computation of roots by simple division and multiplication of angles and magnitudes, respectively, which is not straightforward in Cartesian form .

To find the fourth roots of 81i using De Moivre's theorem, express 81i in polar form with modulus 81 and an argument of 90° (π/2 radians). The fourth roots are determined by taking the fourth root of 81, which is 3, and dividing the argument by 4: 90°/4 = 22.5°. Repeat this with additional 90° increments: 112.5°, 202.5°, and 292.5°. The roots are 3(cos 22.5° + i sin 22.5°), 3(cos 112.5° + i sin 112.5°), 3(cos 202.5° + i sin 202.5°), and 3(cos 292.5° + i sin 292.5°).

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