Complex Numbers

Compiled by: Nyasha P. Tarakino (Trockers)

+263772978155/+263717267175

[email protected]

26 AUGUST 2020

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 SYLLABUS (6042) REQUIREMENTS
 Find the conjugates, moduli and arguments of
complex numbers
 Carry out operations with complex numbers
 Represent complex numbers on an Argand
diagram
 Solve polynomial equations with at least one pair
of non- real roots
 Express complex numbers in polar form
 Carry out operations of complex numbers
expressed in polar form
 Illustrate equations and inequalities involving
complex numbers by means of loci in an Argand
diagram
 Derive the DeMoivre’s Theorem

 Prove the DeMoivre’s Theorem

 Prove trigonometrical identities using

DeMoivre’s Theorem

 Solve equations using the DeMoivre’s Theorem

 Solve problems involving complex numbers

 Nth roots of unity



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 The Complex Number System

o If , then

o Now is called the discriminant.

(i) If , there is one repeated real root
(ii) If , there are two distinct and real roots
(iii)If , there are no real roots but we have imaginary roots
represented by .

Example
Solve the equation
Suggested solution

The symbol is used to denote

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 The General Complex Number

o A Complex number is represented in the form , where and are real

numbers.
o represents the real part; represents the imaginary part and
o The set of real numbers ( ) is also a subset of the complex numbers ( )

NB: Real numbers can be expressed in the form

The modulus and argument of a Complex Number

o Complex numbers can be represented by points on a plane

o The diagram of points in Cartesian coordinates representing complex numbers is called
an Argand diagram
o The -axis represents the imaginary part and the -axis represents the real part of a
complex number
o is called the Cartesian form of a complex number
o It is usually denoted by
o is a point which represent the complex number
o The line joining the origin and the point is called the radius vector

Im(z)

Re(z)

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The Modulus of a Complex Number

Im(z)

Re(z)

o If the complex number is denoted by , and hence , is defined as

the distance from the origin to the point representing .
o Thus .
o The modulus of a complex number is given by:

The Argument/Amplitude of a Complex Number

Im(z)

Re(z)

o The argument of is defined as the angle between the radius vector (line ) and the
positive axis in the positive direction (Anticlockwise)
o It is also called the amplitude of
o It is denoted by
o are also values of the argument for

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 o But we only need the Principal Argument
o The Principal Argument is the value of which satisfies the inequality

o The argument of a complex number is given by , where:

NB: One must be very careful when or both are negative. The quadrant in

which it appears will determine whether its argument is negative or positive

and whether it is acute or obtuse. Always draw a diagram when finding

CASE 1
Angles in first quadrant are measured anticlockwise from the positive real axis

The required angle is or

CASE 2
Angles in second quadrant are measured anticlockwise from the positive real axis

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 The required angle is or or or

CASE 3
Angles in third quadrant are measured clockwise from the positive real axis and is negative

The required angle is or or – or

NB: or represents angles in the third quadrant but

they are not principal arguments

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CASE 4
Angles in fourth quadrant are measured clockwise from the positive real axis.

The required angle is or

NB: (i) or represents angles in the fourth

quadrant but they are not principal arguments

(ii) Degrees/Radians can be used interchangeably
(iii) Angles from the x-axis moving in an anticlockwise direction (or above the x-
axis) are positive and angles from the x-axis moving in a clockwise direction
(or below the x-axis) are negative

Solved Problems

Example
Find the modulus and argument of the complex numbers:
a)
b)
c)
d)

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Suggested solution

a)

(i)

(ii) From the argand diagram, lies in the second quadrant hence

b)

(i)

(ii) From the argand diagram, lies in the third quadrant hence

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c)

(i)

(ii) From the argand diagram, lies in the fourth quadrant hence

d)

(i)

(ii) From the argand diagram, lies in the first quadrant hence

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 Addition, Subtraction and Multiplication of complex numbers

of the form

o In general, if and then:

(i)
(ii)
(iii)

Solved Problems

Question 1
Given that and , find
a)
b)
c)
Suggested Solution
a)

or

b)

or

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c)

or

Question 2

The complex number is denoted by and is denoted by . If another

complex number ,
Find
(i) in the form ,
(ii) the modulus and argument of .

Hence represent on an argand diagram.

Suggested Solution
(i)

(ii)

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Hence the required Argand diagram is:

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 The conjugate of a complex number and the division of complex

numbers of the form

o The conjugate of a complex number , is denoted or , is the complex

number eg the conjugate of
o On an Argand diagram, the point representing the complex number is the reflection of
the point representing on the
o The important property of is that the product is real since:

NB:
o When dividing complex numbers we use the complex conjugate.

Worked Problems

Question 1

Simplify where and

Suggested solution

[Multiply the numerator and denominator of by ie ]

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Question 2
ZIMSEC November 2019 Paper 1

A complex number is given by .

(a) Express in the form where and are real numbers. [2]
(b) Find the modulus and argument of . [2]
(c) Show the complex number on an argand diagram. [1]

Suggested Solution

(a)

(b)

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(c) The required Argand diagram is:

Question 3
ZIMSEC JUNE 2020 Paper 1

(a) Complex numbers and are such that and . Find ,

leaving your answer in the form , where and are integers. [3]
(b) Hence, or otherwise, find
(i) , [2]
(ii) . [3]

Suggested Solution

(a)

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(b) (i)

(ii)

or
or

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 The Polar form of a complex number

Im(z)

Re(z)

o In the diagram above:

o If is the point representing the complex number , it follows that may be

written in the modulus and argument form as follows:

o This is called the polar form or modulus argument form of a complex number.
o A complex number may be written in the form where and

o For brevity, can be written as or

Solved Problems

Question

1. Express in polar form, giving exact values of and where possible, or value

to two d.p.
2. Write in the form , where and .

a)

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 b)

Suggested solution

NB: Multiply the numerator and denominator of by the conjugate i.e.

(i)

(ii) From the argand diagram, lies in the fourth quadrant hence

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 Products and Quotients of complex number in their Polar form

o If and then:
and

Solved Problem

Question

Simplify where and

Suggested Solution

NB Use the identities:

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 Problems involving complex numbers

o You can solve problems by equating real parts and imaginary parts from each side of an
equation involving complex numbers.
o This technique can be used to find the square roots of a complex number
o If , then and

Solved problems

Question 1
If where and are real, find the value of and the value of
Suggested Solution

So
(i) (Equating real parts)
(ii) (Equating imaginary parts)
Adding (i) and (ii):
(i)

Question 2
Find the square root of .
Suggested Solution
Suppose the square root of is where and are real.

Equating real parts and Imaginary parts together:

(i)
(ii)
From (ii):

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NB: The are no real solutions for
Now:

The roots are

SHORTCUT METHODS

METHOD 1

Suppose the square root of is where and are real.

Equating real parts and Imaginary parts together:

(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Using (iii) we have only the following possibility:

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Now using (i):

If the RHS is positive will be largest value and if it is negative will be the smallest value

Now the complex roots are

METHOD 2

Steps

 Halve the value of the Imaginary term i.e.

 Write down factors of the result we obtained in step number one i.e.
 Square the factors from the last stage
 Find the possible factors which gives the Real term ( when subtracted i.e.
NB: (a) If the real term is negative e.g. the small squared factor should
subtract the large squared factor i.e.
(b) If the real term is positive e.g. the large squared factor should subtract
the small squared factor i.e.
 Write down the square root as follows:

NB: If the Imaginary term of the original question e.g. is negative the
imaginary term of the answer should be negative e.g.

Question 3

Simplify , giving your answer in the form

Suggested Solution

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Let br

Polynomials: Roots of Polynomial equations with

real coefficients

o If the roots and of a quadratic equation are complex, and are always a complex
conjugate pair
o Given any complex root of a quadratic equation you can find the equation
o Complex roots of a polynomial equation with real coefficients occur in conjugate pairs
o Suppose the equation has roots , and
then the

(i) sum of the roots

(ii) sum of the products of all possible pairs of roots

(iii)sum of products of all possible combinations of roots taken three at a time, and

so on

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 (iv) product of roots .

Solved problems

Question 1

Given that the root of is . Find the other roots.

Suggested Solution

The other root is (conjugate).

Since sum of roots :

Let the 3rd root .

Hence

Question 2
ZIMSEC 2018 Paper 1
The equation is as one of its roots. Find the other roots. [3]
Suggested Solution
The other root is (conjugate).

Since sum of roots :

Let the 3rd root .

Hence -

.
.

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Question 3
is one of the roots of a quadratic equation. Find its equation.
Suggested Solution
The other root is (conjugate).

NB: The equation with roots is

Question 4
Show that is a solution of the cubic equation .
Hence solve the equation completely.
Suggested Solution
Let
If the

is a solution.

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NB: For a cubic equation either

 all the three roots are real or

 one of the roots is real and the other two roots form a complex conjugate pair.

Question 5
ZIMSEC JUNE 2020 PAPER 2
Given the polynomial function is

(i) show that is a root of the equation , [3]

(ii) find the other two roots of the equation . [3]
Suggested Solution
(i)

Given

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(ii) The other root is the conjugate i.e.

rd
Finding the root

Now let this root be

The other roots are ( and

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 LOCI ON ARGAND DIAGRAM

o A locus is a set of points in a plane whose coordinates satisfy a given consistent

geometric condition
o Loci is the plural of locus
o Paths can be traced out by points representing variable complex numbers on an Argand
diagram just as they can in any other coordinate system.
o For or use continuous lines and circumferences i.e.

and

o For or use broken lines and circumferences i.e.

and

Types of LOCI

CASE 1

o It represents a circle with centre and radius .

o If the point represents the complex number : , then the distance of from the
origin is a constant and so will trace out a circle.

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Proof

Given that and :

It represents the Circle with centre and radius .

Related Loci

a) b)

c) d)

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e) : NB:

CASE 2

o It represents a circle with centre and radius .

o If , where is a fixed complex number represented by point on an argand
diagram then represents the distance and is constant. It follows that must
lie on a circle with centre and radius .

Proof

Given that , and

It represents the Circle with centre and radius .

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Related Loci

a) b)

c) d)

e) : NB:

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CASE 3

o It represents a circle with centre and radius .

Proof

Given that , , and

Since and are all constants thus the equation above reduces to a circle of
the form:

NB: If it is the equation of a circle

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CASE 4

o It represents a straight line.

o It is the perpendicular bisector of the line joining and .

Proof

Given that , , and

since and are constants

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CASE 5

o The locus is not only the perpendicular bisector of , but also the whole half plane, in
which lies, bounded by this bisector.

NB: All the loci considered so far have been related to distances

LOCI IN ARGAND DIAGRAMS INVOLVING ANGLES

The simplest case is the locus of P subject to the conditions that where is a
fixed angle.

CASE 6

o It represents the half line through inclined at an angle to the positive direction of .

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NB: The locus of is only a half line - the other half, shown dotted in the

diagram below, would have the equation possibly if

falls outside the specified range for

CASE 7

It represents the half line through the point inclined at an angle to the positive direction
of .

CASE 8

It indicates that the angle between and the positive lies between and , so
that can be on or within the two half line as sown in the diagram below.

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CASE 9

o It describes an arc of a circle with the angle subtended from the chord at the end points
of and
o Draw the arc starting from to .
 If is positive, then draw the arc going anticlockwise
 If is negative, then draw the arc going clockwise
 If is acute, then it will be on the major arc of the circle
 If is obtuse, then it will be on the minor arc of the circle

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Solved Problems

Question 1

Sketch on argand diagram the locus of points satisfying:

a) b) c)

Suggested Solution

a) b) c)

Question 2

Sketch on argand diagram the locus of points satisfying:

a)

b)

c)

Suggested Solution

a) b) c)

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Question 3

The point represents a complex number on an Argand diagram, where

Show that the locus of is a circle, giving the coordinates of the centre and the radius of this
circle.

Suggested Solution

Let

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Question 4

Sketch on argand diagram the locus of points satisfying:

Suggested Solution

Im(z)

Re(z)

Question 5

Shade the region on the Argand diagram where and both hold.

Suggested Solution

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The required region is given by:

Im(z)

Re(z)

Question 6

Shade the region on the Argand diagram where and both hold.

Suggested Solution

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The required region is given by:

Im(z)

Re(z)

Question 7

Shade the region on the Argand diagram where and both hold.

Suggested Solution

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The required region is given by:

Im(z)

Re(z)

Question 8

Shade the region on the Argand diagram where

Suggested Solution

Im(z)

Re(z)

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Question 9

Shade the region on the Argand diagram where

Suggested Solution

Im(z)

Re(z)

Question 10

The point represents a complex number on an Argand diagram, where

Show that the locus of is a circle, giving the coordinates of the centre and the radius of this
circle.

Suggested Solution

Let

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Question 11

Describe the locus represented by

Suggested Solution

Given that

It represents the Circle with centre and radius .

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Question 12

Shade the region on the Argand diagram which satsfies the following:

, and .

Suggested Solution

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The required region is given by:

Im(z)

Re(z)

Question 13
The complex number satisfies the following inequalities:

Sketch and shade on an Argand diagram the region represented by the inequalities.

Suggested Solution

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The required solution is given by:

Im(z)

Re(z)

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 SOLVED PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

Question 1

ZIMSEC JUNE 2019 PAPER 2

On a single diagram shade the region defined by the inequalities

and [3]

Suggested Solution

The required region is:

Im

Re

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Question 2

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2019 PAPER 2

The complex number satisfies the inequalities and .

Sketch and shade on an Argand diagram the region represented by the inequalities. [4]

Suggested Solution

-2 2

-2

NB:

The required region is:

Im

Re
-2 2

-2

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Question 3

ZIMSEC JUNE 2020 PAPER 2

On a single diagram shade the region defined by the inequalities

and [3]

Suggested Solution

Shading the region represented by the complex number satisfying the inequalities:

and

Let

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 Maximum and Minimum values for

arguments and moduli

Modulus
o The maximum value of the modulus is the furthest point through the centre of the circle
to the circumference from the origin
o The minimum value of the modulus is the closest point from the origin to the
circumference of the circle.

Steps
o Draw the required circle
o Draw the line from the origin to the centre
o Use the Pythagoras’ theorem to determine the length of the line

i.e. (i) Maximum value is

(ii) Minimum value is

For maximum and minimum angles we can use the triangular inequality:

The least value is given by and the maximum value is

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Argument
o The maximum and minimum angles are at points of tangency

Steps
o Draw the required circles
o Draw lines from the origin which touches the circle at two points (tangents)
o Use Pythagoras’ theorem
o Use Trigonometric ratios

Minimum Angle

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 o For the minimum value for the argument we have to draw the tangent going through
the right side (lower side) of the circle.

Maximum Angle

o For the maximum value for the argument we have to draw the tangent going through
the left side (upper side) of the circle.

Solved problems

Question 1
Given that .
Find
(a) the maximum value for ,
(b) the minimum value for ,
(c) the maximum value of ,
(d) the minimum value of .
Suggested Solution

and radius

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(a) the maximum

The maximum angle is

Now:

or we can simply use the concept of Pythagorean identities for and .

Now:

The maximum angle is

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(b) the minimum

The minimum angle is

Now:

The minimum angle is

(c) the maximum value of

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 The maximum value of

(d) the minimum value of .

The minimum value of

The maximum and minimum values of can also be found using the triangular inequality

and
Now:

The least value is and the maximum value is

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Question 2
Edexcel GCE Further Pure Mathematics 2

A complex number satisfies the equation

Find
(a) Describe in geometrical terms, with the aid of a sketch, the locus of the point which
represents in the argand diagram. [3]
For points on this locus, find
(b) the maximum and minimum values of , [4]
(c) the maximum and minimum values for , giving your answers in radians to
decimal places. [4]
Suggested Solution
(a)

It is a circle with centre and radius

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(b) the maximum and minimum values of

The maximum value of

The minimum value of

The maximum and minimum values of can also be found using the triangular inequality

and
Now:

The least value is and the maximum value is

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(c) the maximum and minimum values for

The maximum angle is

Now:

or we can simply use the concept of Pythagorean identities for and

Now:

The maximum angle is

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The minimum angle is
Now:

The minimum angle is

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 DEMOIVRE’S THEOREM

o Given that is a complex number and is a positive integer, then

NB: DeMoivre’s theorem holds also when is negative or fractional

o The DeMoivre’s theorem can also be written as

o can also be written as

NB: One very important application of DeMoivre’s theorem is in condition of complex

numbers of the form

Solved Problems

Question 1

Simplify

Suggested solution

Question 2

Find in the form

Suggested solution

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NB: (i) Clearly it would not be practical to multiply by itself ten times.

(ii) Express it in polar form.

Thus and

Question 3

Simplify

Suggested solution

NB: DeMoivre’s theorem applies only to expression in the form

and not , so the expression to be simplified must be written in
the form

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Hence

Question 4

Find in the form

Suggested solution

Now

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Question 5
If , show that

Hence use the DeMoivre’s theorem to show that

Suggested solution

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Now:

Using DeMoivre’s theorem

APPLICATION OF DEMOIVRE’S THEOREM IN ESTABLISHING

TRIGONOMETRIC IDENTITIES

Question 1
Show that
Suggested Solution
(Using DeMoivre’s Theorem)

Now:

(Since )
Now is the real part of the LHS of the equation, and the real parts of both sides can be
equated

(Since )

Question 2
Express in terms of .
Suggested Solution

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NB: and are obtained from the expansion of
Now

Dividing every term by

Question 3
Express in terms of .
Suggested Solution

NB: and are obtained from the expansion of

Now

Dividing every term by

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Question 4
ZIMSEC JUNE 2020 PAPER 2
Use DeMoivre’s theorem to show that
[6]
Suggested Solution

Let and

Now:
and

Also:

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 EXPRESSIONS FOR POWERS OF Sin AND Cos IN TERMS OF

MULTIPLES OF SINES AND COSINES

o Expressions for powers of and in terms of sines and cosines of multiples of

canbe derived using the following results:
Suppose , then

o Therefore if then

(i) Adding and

(ii) Subtracting

NB: If : and

o Also ,

o Then

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o Combining and as before:

(i) Adding and

(ii) Subtracting

NB: If : and

NB: A common mistake is to omit the in , so make a point of remembering this

result carefully.

Solved problems

Question 1

Use DeMoivre’s Theorem to show that

Suggested Solution

Suppose then

Now

Using the results established earlier:

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Hence

NB: One very succesful application of the example above would be integrating

Question 2

a) Show that

b) Evaluate

Suggested Solution

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Multiplying (i) and (ii)

Now and

Dividing by (

b)

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 Exponential Form of a Complex Number

If then and

Example
Express in the form .
Suggested Solution

(i)
(ii) From the argand diagram, lies in the fourth quadrant hence

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 The Cube Roots of Unity

o The cube roots of are numbers: when they are cubed their value is .
o They satisfy the equation .
o Clearly, one of the roots of is
) must be a factor of .
o Factorising (after performing long division) we get ) )
o Now the other roots come from the quadratic equation .
o If one of these roots is denoted by , then satisfies the equation so that
.
o It can also be shown that if is a roots of then is also a root, in fact, the other
root.
o i.e. Substituting into the left hand side of gives
, as since is a solution of .
o Thus the cube roots are , and , where and are non-real.
o can be expressed in the form .
i.e.

NB: It doesn’t matter whether is labelled as or as because each is

the square of the other.

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In other words of then:

If , then .

o Now the cube roots of unity are , and , where:

(i)
(ii)

(iii)the non-real roots are and

Solved problems

Question 1
Simplify where is a complex cube root of .
Suggested Solution
{because }

{because }

{because }

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Question 2
Show that

Suggested Solution
(i)

(ii)

(iii)

Now the equation simplifies to

Multiply the first term by and the second term by (NB: Multiply both on the numerator
and the denominator)

But

{Since }

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 The Nth Roots of Unity

o The equation clearly has at least one root, namely , but actually has many
more, most of which (If not all) are complex.
o To find the remaining roots, the right hand side of the equation should be
expressed in exponential form,

o Taking the nth root of both sides gives

o Different integer values of will give rise to different roots

o Thus the equation has roots:

Solved problem

Question
Find in the form , the roots of the equation and illustrate these roots on an
argand diagram.
Suggested Solution

Thus the roots are:

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To summarise the sixth roots:

Im

Re

NB: (i) The arguments of the roots should be between – and instead of

and . In the example above the roots would be given as for

.

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 The roots of where is a non-real number

o Every complex number of the form can be written in the form , where is real
and lies in an interval of (Ussually from to or from – )
o Suppose that
o Then

o However, it is also true that:

and also true for:

In general it is also true that:

where

o So solving the equation

th
o Taking the root of both sides

or

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Solved problems

Question 1
Find the three roots of the equation
Suggested Solution
Express in exponential form.

Im

Re

(i)
(ii) From the argand diagram, lies in the first quadrant hence

The roots are

NB: These roots can be written in the form i.e.

for .

The roots are

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Remember that the principal argument is – Thus

NB: We can also express these solutions in the form i.e.

The roots are

Question 2

Solve the equation , giving your answer in the form where

and must be given correct to two decimal places.
Suggested Solution

Let

Im

Re

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Tarakino N.P. (Trockers) ~ 0772978155/ 0717267175
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Tarakino N.P. (Trockers) ~ 0772978155/ 0717267175
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 SOLVED PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

Question 1
ZIMSEC JUNE 2010 PAPER 2
Express in the form . Hence or otherwise find all the fourth roots
of .
Suggested Solution

Let

Im

Re

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Tarakino N.P. (Trockers) ~ 0772978155/ 0717267175
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Question 2

ZIMSEC JUNE 2013

Using the substitution , solve the equation where is a complex

number.

Suggested Solution

Let

But

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Now:

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Also:

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Tarakino N.P. (Trockers) ~ 0772978155/ 0717267175
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 Solutions of the Binomial Equations

Case 1
where is a real positive number and is a fraction.

where

Case 2
where is a real negative number and is a fraction.

where
Case 3
where is an imaginary positive number and is a fraction.

where

Case 4
where is an imaginary negative number and is a fraction.

where

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Solved Problems

Question 1
Solve , express your answers in the form .
Suggested Solution

where

Question 2

Solve , express your answers in the form .

Suggested solution

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 PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Question 1

Solve the following equation , giving your answer in the form

Question 2
Solve the following equations and express them in the form .

a)
b)
c)
d)

Answer: (a)

(b)

(c)

(c)

Question 3

a) Use DeMoivre’s theorem to show that

b) By solving the equation , deduce that .

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Question 4

a) Express in the form , where , where and

are exact values.
b) Hence, or otherwise, solve the equation leaving your answers in the form
,where is the modulus of and is a rational number such that
.
c) Show on an Argand diagram the points representing your solution.

Answer: (a)

(b

Question 5

Express in the form where is an integer to be found.

Answer:

Question 6
Use DeMoivre’s theorem to evaluate

a) b)

Answer: (a)

(b)

Question 7

a) If , use DeMoivre’s theorem to show that .

b) Express in terms of and .

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 c) Hence, or otherwise, show that , where and are
constants.
d) Hence, or otherwise

where is a constant

Answer: (b)

(c) ,

(d)

Question 8
The region in an argand diagram is satisfied by the inequalities and .
Draw an argand diagram and shade in the region .

Question 9
The region in an argand diagram is satisfied by the inequalities and
.

Draw and indicate by shading the region .

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Question 10

a) (i) Express in the form

(ii) Hence find the sixth roots of , the complex number obtained above. Give
your answer in the form
b) (i) Sketch on an argand diagram the locus of points of where

(ii) Hence or otherwise state the Cartesian equation of this locus.

Answer: a(i)

(ii)

b (i)

(ii)

Question 11

The polynomial is denoted .

(i) Show that is a root of the equation .

(ii) State the other complex root of the equation .
(iii)Hence or otherwise find the other 2 roots of the equation

Answer: (ii)

(iii)

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Question 12

a) Simplify giving your answer in the form

b) Use DeMoivre’s theorem to show that

Answer: (a)

Question 13
Solve , express your answers in the form .

where

Question 14
Solve , express your answers in the form .

where

Question 15
Solve , express your answers in the form .

where

Question 16

Express in the form .

Answer:

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Question 17
Solve , express your answers in the form , where and are expressed in
decimal places.

Answer:

Question 18

Find the value of .

Answer:

Question 19

Find .

Answer:

Question 20

Find .

Answer:

Question 21

Use DeMoivre’s theorem to show that

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Question 22

Find the value of .

Answer:

Question 23
The region in an argand diagram is satisfied by the inequalities and

Draw and indicate by shading the region .

Answer: Im(z)

Re(z)

Question 24

Express in polar form.

Answer:

Question 25

Express in the form .

Answer:

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 ZIMSEC PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS PAPER 1

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2003 SPECIMEN

a) Given that the imaginary part of is , where find possible values of .

[2]
b) Given that and .
(i) Calculate the modulus and argument of and .
(ii) Hence plot on an Argand diagram and . [4]
c) Given that , find the values of and . [4]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2003

Given that and , find

(i) , [1]
(ii) , [1]
(iii) , [2]
(iv) , [2]

Show the complex numbers and on the same Argand diagram, clearly labelling
and . [2]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2004

a) Express in modulus argument form. Hence find their simplest form the moduli
and arguments of numbers:
(i) ,
(ii) [6]
b) (i) Shade the area represented on an argand diagram by:
[2]
(ii) Sketch the locus of if
[3]

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ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2004

Given that , find

(i) and , [2]

(ii) in the form , where represents the conjugate and and are real
numbers. [2]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2005

The complex number has a modulus and argument .

a) Determine the value and . [2]

b) is the complex number . Find in the form and hence represent
on the Argand diagram. [3]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2006

a) Express the complex number in the form . Hence find and

. [4]
b) Show by substitution that is a root of the equation .
[3]

ZIMSEC NOVEMEBER 2006

The complex number satisfies the equation .

Find the value of and the value of . [4]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2008

Given the complex number ,

evaluate

(i) ,
(ii) . [3]

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 Plot the points and representing the complex numbers , ,
respectively on an Argand diagram. [2]
Hence name the quadrilateral , where is the origin. [1]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2008

A complex number has modulus and argument .

State the modulus and argument of . [2]

Using these values show the number on an Argand diagram, and hence express in
the form . [2]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2009

The complex number and it is given that

a) State the relationship between

(i) and ,
(ii) and , [2]
b) Given that , find r in the form where and are real numbers. [2]
c) The points and in an Argand diagram represent the complex numbers
and respectively.
(i) State the kind of quadrilateral that is, where is the origin.
(ii) Find the area of . [3]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2009

The complex numbers z and w are given by and .

Find

(i) , [1]
(ii) , [2]

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 (iii) in the form where and are exact.

Hence represent in an Argand diagram. [3]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2010

Express in the form , where and are real. [3]

Hence or otherwise find in the form where is a prime number. [2]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2011

It is given that and .

a) Find and in the form . [3]

b) if , obtain the exact values of the modulus and argument of . [4]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2011

a) The complex number u is such that .

Find
(i) the modulus of ,
(ii) the argument of . [4]
b) Given that complex number is .
Find in the form

(i) ,

(ii) . [4]

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ZIMSEC JUNE 2012

The complex number .

a) Express w in the form where and are real. [2]

b) Find
(i) modulus of ,
(ii) argument of . [5]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2012

A complex number has modulus and is positioned as shown in the Argand diagram
above.

(i) State the principal argument of and write in the form where and are
exact real numbers. [3]
(ii) Find exactly in the form , the complex number , given that

. [2]

(iii)Show a sketch of in an Argand diagram, labelling the modulus and argument values
in your diagram. [3]

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ZIMSEC JUNE 2013

Given that and ,

a) (i) show the complex numbers and on an argand diagram,

(ii) describe the geometrical transformation which maps ont . [3]
b) Find
(i) the modulus and argument of ,
(ii) ,

(iii) . [5]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2013

If and ,

Find

(i) the modulus and argument of . [2]

(ii) (a) ,

(b) . [4]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2014

Given that and ,

(i) show on a single argand diagram the complex numbers

1.

2. . [6]

(ii) find the modulus and argument of each case in and . [4]

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ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2014

The complex number z satisfies the equation

Find

(i) z in the form , [3]

(ii) the modulus and argument of . [4]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2015

The complex number and is such that

a) Find
(i) in the form
(ii) 1.
2. . [7]
b) Sketch on an argand diagram showing clearly the and . [2]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2015

Two complex numbers and are such that

and .

Find

(i) 1. ,
2. , [4]
(ii) the modulus of , [2]

(iii) the argument . [3]

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ZIMSEC JUNE 2016

(i) Express the complex number in the form . [4]

(ii) Hence, or otherwise, find

1. in the form .
2. argument of . [6]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2017

The complex numbers and are such that and .

a) Find

(i) in the form [3]

(ii) [2]

(iii) [2]

b) Hence represent on a clearly labelled Argand diagram. [2]

ZIMSEC NOVEMEBR 2017

Given the complex numbers and , find

a) in the form , where and are real numbers

(i) [1]
(ii) [1]
b) the argument of . [2]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2018

The complex number

Find

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 a) the modulus of , [1]
b) the argument of the conjugate of , [2]

c) in the form . [3]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2019

A complex number is give by .

(a) Express in the form where and are real numbers. [2]
(b) Find the modulus and argument of . [2]
(c) Show the complex number on an Argand diagram. [1]

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 ZIMSEC PAST EXAMINATION QUESTIONS PAPER 2

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2019

a) The equation has a root

Find the other three roots. [6]

b) The complex number satisfies the inequalities and .

Sketch and shade on an Argand diagram the region represented by the

inequalities. [4]
c) Solve the equation giving your answers in the form
, correct to decimal places. [6]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2019

a) On a single diagram shade the region defined by the inequalities

b) Solve the equation . [6]

c) Use DeMoivre’s theorem to show that

. [7]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2018

a) It is given that and are factor of the polynomial

(i) Find the value of and . [5]

(ii) Hence, or otherwise, find the roots of the equation . [5]

b) Find the real part of , giving your answer in exact form. [6]

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ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2017

d) Find the value of using the De Moivre’s Theorem. [4]

e) Express in terms of . [6]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2017

a) Given that the complex numbers and , where and are

numbers, satisfy the equation ,
find the value of and the value of . [4]
b) Indicate by shading on a single Argand diagram the region in which both of the
following inequalities are satisfied:

[3]
c) Use De-Moivres theorem to

(i) find the value of [2]

(ii) Show that . [2]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2016

a) Express in the form , the roots of the equation . [9]

b) show in an argand diagram. [2]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2015

(a) Is , and , sketch the locus of points

on the Argand diagram for which . [3]
(b) Hence, from (a) write down the number corresponding to the point on the locus for
which

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 (i) the imaginary part is ,
(ii) . [3]

(c) Given that ,

find
(i) ,
(ii) . [3]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2015

a) Given that , find the fifth roots of in the form . [8]

b) Given that is a root of the equation where and are

constants,
find
1. the other two roots.
2. the values of and . [6]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2013

(a) Using the substitution , solve the equation where is a

complex number. [10]

(b) The real part of the complex number is zero. Show that the locus of the point

representing in the Argand diagram plane is a circle centre and radius . [4]
(c) Sketch in an argand diagram the set of points representing all complex numbers

satsfying both the inequalities and . [3]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2012

(a) Simplify , giving your answer in the form [4]

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 (b) (i) Simplify , [2]

(ii) Use De Moivre’s theorem to express in terms of . [6]

(c) (i) Sketch an argand diagram of the locus of where
(ii) Hence or otherwise state the Cartesian equation of the locus. [5]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2011

(a) Express in exponential form . [5]

(b) (i) Prove that based on DeMoivre’s theorem.

(ii) Hence find the first four exact values of for which
. [10]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2009

Given that . Show that . [3]

Hence express in terms of and using De Moivre’s theorem. [4]

a) Express in the form where and . [3]

b) Given that is a root of the equation ,
find the other three roots. [5]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2008

a) Find the modulus and argument of for . [4]

b) Sketch in an Argand diagram the set of points representing all complex numbers
satisfying both of the inequalities.
[3]
c) Use DeMoivre’s theorem to express in terms of . [5]

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ZIMSEC JUNE 2007

a) Illustrate on an Argand diagram the set of points representing the complex number
satisfying both
and . [3]

b) Given that and , find the

modulus and argument of

(i) , [2]

(ii) . [2]

c) Given that , prove that . [3]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2006

a) The equation has as one of its roots.

(i) Find the other two roots. [5]
(ii) Sketch these roots in an Argand diagram. [2]
b) Express in the form . [3]
Hence find the 4th root of , giving your answers correct to
decimal places. [5]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2005

a) By using the substitution , show that the Cartesian equation of the circle
representing the complex number , where
, can be expressed in the form , where
and are integers. [3]
Sketch this circle on an Argand diagram. [3]
b) Using De Moivre’s theorem to express in terms of powers of . [6]
c) Solve the equation giving your answers in the form
. [8]

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ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2004

A complex number has modulus and argument . Another complex number has

modulus and argument .

a) Write each of the complex numbers in the form .

(i) , [6]

(ii) . [6]

b) Find the smallest value such that [3]

ZIMSEC JUNE 2004

a) Use De Moivre’s theorem to express in terms of powers of . [5]

b) Given that , find all possible values of giving your answers in the
form with and correct to [7]
c) Sketch on an Argand diagram the locus of , where

[2]
Hence or otherwise state the Cartesian equation of the locus. [1]

ZIMSEC NOVEMBER 2003

a) Sketch the following locus on an Argand diagram

[4]
b) Express in terms of cosines of multiple angles. [7]
c) Show that is a root of the equation .
Hence find the other two roots. [6]

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ASANTE SANA

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*******THERE IS A LIGHT AT THE END OF EVERY TUNNEL *******

CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS ON THE FORM

OF THE PRESENTATION, INCLUDING ANY
OMISSIONS OR ERRORS, ARE WELCOME.

***ENJOY***

Nyasha P. Tarakino (Trockers)

+263772978155/+263717267175

[email protected]

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