Chapter 11: Problem 38
Find all indicated roots and express them in rectangular form. Check your results with a calculator. The fourth roots of \(-1\).
Short Answer
Expert verified
The fourth roots of -1 are \(\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} + i\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\), \(-\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} + i\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\), \(-\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} - i\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\), and \(\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} - i\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\).
Step by step solution
01
Express in Polar Form
To find the fourth roots of -1, you'll first want to express -1 in polar form. The complex number -1 can be expressed as 1 (magnitude) angle\(\pi\). So in polar form, it's 1 angle\(\pi\): \(re^{i\theta} = e^{i\pi} \).
02
Use De Moivre's Theorem
Use De Moivre’s Theorem, which says that the n-th roots of a complex number are given by:\(z^{1/n} = r^{1/n} (\cos(\frac{\theta + 2k\pi}{n}) + i \sin(\frac{\theta + 2k\pi}{n}))\), where k = 0, 1, ..., n-1.
03
Calculate Magnitude
For the fourth root problem, n=4, \(r = 1\), thus the magnitude \(r^{1/4} = 1^{1/4} = 1\), because any non-zero number raised to any power remains 1.
04
Calculate Angles
We need to find all four roots, so compute angles for k = 0, 1, 2, 3 using:\(\theta_k = \frac{\pi + 2k\pi}{4}\).
05
Calculate for k = 0
For k = 0: \(\theta_0 = \frac{\pi}{4}\),so the first root is \(e^{i\frac{\pi}{4}} = \cos\frac{\pi}{4} + i\sin\frac{\pi}{4} = \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} + i\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\).
06
Calculate for k = 1
For k = 1: \(\theta_1 = \frac{3\pi}{4}\), thus the second root is \(e^{i\frac{3\pi}{4}} = \cos\frac{3\pi}{4} + i\sin\frac{3\pi}{4} = -\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} + i\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\).
07
Calculate for k = 2
For k = 2: \(\theta_2 = \frac{5\pi}{4}\), so the third root is \(e^{i\frac{5\pi}{4}} = \cos\frac{5\pi}{4} + i\sin\frac{5\pi}{4} = -\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} - i\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\).
08
Calculate for k = 3
For k = 3: \(\theta_3 = \frac{7\pi}{4}\), thus the fourth root is \(e^{i\frac{7\pi}{4}} = \cos\frac{7\pi}{4} + i\sin\frac{7\pi}{4} = \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} - i\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Polar Form
Polar form is a way to represent complex numbers using a magnitude and an angle. Instead of using the standard "a + bi" format known as rectangular form, polar form expresses a complex number as a modulus (r) and an angle (θ).
A complex number like \(-1\) can be rewritten in polar form as \(re^{i\theta}\). In polar form, \(-1\) has a magnitude of 1 (distance from origin), and its angle with respect to the positive x-axis is \(\pi\) radians or 180 degrees.
A complex number like \(-1\) can be rewritten in polar form as \(re^{i\theta}\). In polar form, \(-1\) has a magnitude of 1 (distance from origin), and its angle with respect to the positive x-axis is \(\pi\) radians or 180 degrees.
- The magnitude \(r\) shows the distance from the origin to the point in the complex plane.
- The angle \(\theta\) indicates the counterclockwise rotation from the positive real axis.
De Moivre's Theorem
De Moivre's Theorem provides a straightforward method for finding roots and powers of complex numbers. It states that if a complex number is expressed in polar form as \(re^{i\theta}\), then the nth roots are given by:
\[ z^{1/n} = r^{1/n} \left( \cos\left(\frac{\theta + 2k\pi}{n}\right) + i \sin\left(\frac{\theta + 2k\pi}{n}\right) \right) \]
\[ z^{1/n} = r^{1/n} \left( \cos\left(\frac{\theta + 2k\pi}{n}\right) + i \sin\left(\frac{\theta + 2k\pi}{n}\right) \right) \]
- "n" is the number of roots you are seeking, so for fourth roots, \(n=4\).
- "k" is an integer that runs from 0 to \(n-1\), which allows calculation of all n roots.
Rectangular Form
Rectangular form, also known as Cartesian form, is the standard format to express complex numbers. It is written as \(a + bi\), where:
Once you've used De Moivre's Theorem to find the roots in polar form, it's often necessary to convert them back to rectangular form for a more familiar interpretation. For each root:
- "a" denotes the real part
- "b" is the imaginary part
Once you've used De Moivre's Theorem to find the roots in polar form, it's often necessary to convert them back to rectangular form for a more familiar interpretation. For each root:
- Convert the polar angle to its corresponding trigonometric values, using cosine for the real part and sine for the imaginary part.
- For example, the root \(e^{i\frac{\pi}{4}}\) converts to \(\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} + i\frac{\sqrt{2}}{2}\).