De Moivre's Theorem and Finding Roots of Complex Numbers

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Trigonometry › De Moivre's Theorem and Finding Roots of Complex Numbers

Questions 1 - 7
1

Find all fifth roots of .

Explanation

Begin by converting the complex number to polar form:

Next, put this in its generalized form, using k which is any integer, including zero:

Using De Moivre's theorem, a fifth root of is given by:

Assigning the values will allow us to find the following roots. In general, use the values .

These are the fifth roots of .

2

Simplify using De Moivre's Theorem:

Explanation

We can use DeMoivre's formula which states:

Now plugging in our values of and we get the desired result.

3

Find all fourth roots of .

Explanation

Begin by converting the complex number to polar form:

Next, put this in its generalized form, using k which is any integer, including zero:

Using De Moivre's theorem, a fifth root of is given by:

Assigning the values will allow us to find the following roots. In general, use the values .

These are the fifth roots of .

4

Find all cube roots of 1.

Explanation

Begin by converting the complex number to polar form:

Next, put this in its generalized form, using k which is any integer, including zero:

Using De Moivre's theorem, a fifth root of 1 is given by:

Assigning the values will allow us to find the following roots. In general, use the values .

These are the cube roots of 1.

5

Use De Moivre's Theorem to evaluate .

Explanation

First convert this point to polar form:

Since this number has a negative imaginary part and a positive real part, it is in quadrant IV, so the angle is

We are evaluating

Using DeMoivre's Theorem:

DeMoivre's Theorem is

We apply it to our situation to get:

which is coterminal with since it is an odd multiplie

6

Use De Moivre's Theorem to evaluate .

Explanation

First, convert the complex number to polar form:

Since both the real and the imaginary parts are positive, the angle is in quadrant I, so it is

This means we're evaluating

Using DeMoivre's Theorem:

DeMoivre's Theorem is

We apply it to our situation to get.

First, evaluate . We can split this into which is equivalent to

\[We can re-write the middle exponent since is equivalent to \]

This comes to

Evaluating sine and cosine at is equivalent to evaluating them at since

This means our expression can be written as:

7

Evaluate using De Moivre's Theorem:

Explanation

First, convert this complex number to polar form.

Since the point has a positive real part and a negative imaginary part, it is located in quadrant IV, so the angle is .

This gives us

To evaluate, use DeMoivre's Theorem:

DeMoivre's Theorem is

We apply it to our situation to get:

simplifying

, is coterminal with since it is an even multiple of

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