Algebra 2

HOT Questioning
"Explain your strategy,"
"Justify your answer,"
"Compare and contrast different methods,"
"Predict what would happen if..."

Unit 6: Complex Numbers

Lesson 2: The Complex Conjugate

Teacher Facing
November 11, 2024

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Do Now
Complete the complex operations below.

1. (5 + 2i) · (5 − 2i) 3. (3 + 2i) + (−2 + 4i)

2. (8 − i) − (5 + 4i) 4. (12 + 9i) ÷ (3 + 6i)

We will learn how to do this today.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Academic Vocabulary

i Complex numbers Complex conjugate

z = 6 + 5i
i = √−1 10 − 3i

Imaginary numbers
Real part z = 6 − 5i
i
−4i Imaginary part Compare and contrast the
−9i above two complex
7i numbers?

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 HOT: Compare and Contrast
Observe the structure of the expression and think critically about the relationship between the
terms of question 1.
1. (5 + 2i) · (5 − 2i) 29 3. (3 + 2i) · (−2 + 4i) -14 + 8i

2. (8 − i)· (5 + 4i) 44 + 27i 4. (2 + i) · (2 + i) 3 + 4i

HOT
What do you notice about the question 1 and HOT
its answer? What conclusions can you draw about the
Compare and contrast the result with that of result of (5 + 2i) · (5 − 2i) in comparison to the
2,3,4 other 3 questions?

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 What about Division?
The division problem from the Do Now may have thrown you.

HOT: What strategies can you use to to perform the division?

Can you use
4. (12 + 9i) ÷ (3 + 6i) Long division?
Synthetic division?
Polynomial division?

To divide complex numbers, we need a new tool called the complex conjugate.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 The Complex Conjugate
The conjugate of a complex number a + bi is a − bi. This keeps the real part and negates the
imaginary part.

We draw a bar above the variable for a complex number to denote its conjugate.

Fill out the table of complex numbers and their conjugates.

Complex Complex
Number (z) Conjugate (z)
7 + 3i 7 − 3i
To see the use of the complex
5+i
conjugate, we need to see what
−14 + 6i
happens when we multiply by it.
15 − 2i
−3 − 10i
4−i

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Quick Check
What is the complex conjugate of 28 − 3i?

A. 28 − 3i
B. −28 + 3i
C. 28 + 3i
D. −28 − 3i

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Jigsaw Activity
Divide into groups A and B.

Group A Group B

Multiply each of the following numbers by its Multiply each of the following numbers by its
complex conjugate: complex conjugate:
1. (7 + 2i) 1. (3 − 8i)
2. (−5 − 4i) 2. (−6 + i)

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Jigsaw Recap
What did you notice about the answers in the last activity?

In the last activity,

each answer…

This is why we need the complex conjugate; it helps

us turn complex numbers into real numbers.

Let’s take a look at how it works.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 General Conjugate Multiplication
In general, multiplying a complex number by its conjugate will always result in a real number.
Watch what happens when we multiply a generic complex number, (a + bi), by its conjugate.

So not only is the result real, it is always equal to a² + b²,

or the sum of the square of the real part and the square
of the coefficient of the imaginary part.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Using the Complex Conjugate
Take the division problem from the Do Now.

12 + 9i What is the complex conjugate

The complex conjugate of
3 + 6i of the denominator?
the denominator is _______.

Now multiply both parts of the fraction by the complex conjugate of the denominator.

12 + 9i 3 − 6i (12 + 9i)(3 − 6i) 90 − 45i 90 45i

· = = = − =2−i
3 + 6i 3 − 6i (3 + 6i)(3 − 6i) 45 45 45

How can we check this answer?

What are we really Using the complex
multiplying by here? conjugate changes this to
a division problem that We can check this by…
makes sense to us.
1 multiplying (2 − i) · (3 + 6i).
LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Checkpoint
Ulla needs to divide (27 − 14i) by 4 − 3i. Which of the following
demonstrates the first step for using the complex conjugate to divide?

A.

B.

C.

D.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Your Turn
Practice using the complex conjugate to divide with the problems below.

1. 3.

2. 4.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Square Roots of Negative Numbers
Knowing what you know about i, can you calculate √−16?

What if we rewrote the problem as √16 · −1?

This brings us back to the concept of simplifying radicals, where we write square roots by
breaking numbers down into their prime factors.

Let’s take a quick look back.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Prime Factors
We can break down a composite number down to its prime factors by using
prime factorization.
54 54 = 2 · 27
54 = 9 · 6

54 2 27 27 = 3 · 9

9=3·3 9 6 6=3·2 3 9 9=3·3

3 3 3 2 3 3

These are all prime → 54 = 3 · 3 · 3 · 2 same! 54 = 2 · 3 · 3 · 3

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Simplifying Radicals with Prime Factors
We can use prime factorization to simplify the radical of 54.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Simplifying Radicals with Prime Factors
Use prime factorization to simplify this radical:

120

12 10

3 4 2 5

2 2

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Quick Check
What is √48 simplified?

A. 8√3
B. 7
C. 3√4
D. 4√3

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Square Roots of Negative Numbers
You have always been told that negative numbers don’t have square roots.

The more accurate way of saying this is that negative numbers don’t have real square roots.

For x < 0, √x is a complex number, meaning that the square root parent function has a domain
of all real numbers x such that x ≥ 0.

To determine the square root of a negative number, we need

only factor out the −1 before we begin.

Notice that we put both

the coefficient and the i
before the radical.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Your Turn
Determine the following complex roots. Simplify radicals where necessary.

1. 3.

9i

2. 4.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Checkpoint
What is the solution to √−32?

A. 4i√2
B. 4 + i√2
C. 4 + 2i
D. √32i

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Pre-Practice Summary
You are going to practice applying what you have learned today. All of the following questions
are also in your student handout.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Practice
Evaluate the following expressions.

1. 3.

2. 4.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Practice
Simplify the following radical expressions.

1. 3.

2. 4.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Demonstration of Learning
DOL: Given a set of
problems, students
will correctly add,
subtract, and
multiply complex
numbers and use the
complex conjugate
to divide complex
numbers in at least 4
of 5 questions.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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 Citations
All listed images generated using Adobe Illustrator unless otherwise noted.

Graph images generated using Desmos.

Videos created using Microsoft Snipping tool with Adobe Photoshop.

LO: SWBAT add, subtract, and multiply complex numbers and use the complex conjugate to divide complex numbers.
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