MAT3253 Complex Variables

3.1. Polar form🔗

section Polar_form

A nonzero complex number, like a vector in \mathbb{R}^2, can be written in polar form. Given any nonzero complex number x + iy, we may write

x + iy = r(\cos\theta + i\sin\theta)

where r > 0 and \theta are real numbers.

The number r is the modulus of x+iy, representing the length of the corresponding vector, and \theta is the angle from the positive real axis to that vector.

Proposition 1.4.1. Let

  • z_1 = r_1(\cos\theta_1 + i\sin\theta_1),

  • z_2 = r_2(\cos\theta_2 + i\sin\theta_2)

be two complex numbers in polar form. Then

z_1 z_2 = r_1 r_2 \big[\cos(\theta_1 + \theta_2) + i\sin(\theta_1 + \theta_2)\big].

We prove by calculation: expand using i^2=-1, and apply the angle-addition identities.

theorem polar_mul (r₁ r₂ θ₁ θ₂ : ) : (r₁ * ((Real.cos θ₁) + (Real.sin θ₁)*I)) * (r₂ * ((Real.cos θ₂) + (Real.sin θ₂)*I)) = (r₁*r₂)*((Real.cos (θ₁+θ₂)) + (Real.sin (θ₁+θ₂))*I) := calc (r₁ * ((Real.cos θ₁) + (Real.sin θ₁)*I)) * (r₂ * ((Real.cos θ₂) + (Real.sin θ₂)*I)) /- Step 1 – pull the moduli r₁, r₂ to the front and distribute the product -/ _ = r₁ * r₂* ((I ^ 2) * Real.sin θ₁ *Real.sin θ₂ + Real.cos θ₁ * Real.cos θ₂ + I* Real.cos θ₁ * Real.sin θ₂ + I * Real.sin θ₁ * Real.cos θ₂) := r₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:r₁ * ((Real.cos θ₁) + (Real.sin θ₁) * I) * (r₂ * ((Real.cos θ₂) + (Real.sin θ₂) * I)) = r₁ * r₂ * (I ^ 2 * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) + I * (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + I * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂)) All goals completed! 🐙 -- Step 2 – using I² = −1 _ = r₁ * r₂* ((-1) * Real.sin θ₁ *Real.sin θ₂ + Real.cos θ₁ * Real.cos θ₂ + I* Real.cos θ₁ * Real.sin θ₂ + I * Real.sin θ₁ * Real.cos θ₂) := r₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:r₁ * r₂ * (I ^ 2 * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) + I * (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + I * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂)) = r₁ * r₂ * (-1 * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) + I * (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + I * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂)) All goals completed! 🐙 /- Apply the angle-addition formulas cos(θ₁ + θ₂) = cos θ₁ cos θ₂ − sin θ₁ sin θ₂ sin(θ₁ + θ₂) = sin θ₁ cos θ₂ + cos θ₁ sin θ₂ recognise the result as cos(θ₁+θ₂)+i sin(θ₁+θ₂) -/ _ = r₁ * r₂ * ((Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + I * (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂))) := r₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:r₁ * r₂ * (-1 * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) + I * (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + I * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂)) = r₁ * r₂ * ((Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + I * (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂))) r₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:-1 * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) + I * (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + I * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) = (Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + I * (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂)) r₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:(-1 * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) + I * (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + I * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂)).re = ((Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + I * (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂))).rer₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:(-1 * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) + I * (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + I * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂)).im = ((Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + I * (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂))).im r₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:(-1 * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) + I * (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + I * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂)).re = ((Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + I * (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂))).rer₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:(-1 * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂) + I * (Real.cos θ₁) * (Real.sin θ₂) + I * (Real.sin θ₁) * (Real.cos θ₂)).im = ((Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + I * (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂))).im r₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:(cos θ₁).re * (sin θ₂).re + (sin θ₁).re * (cos θ₂).re = (sin θ₁).re * (cos θ₂).re + (cos θ₁).re * (sin θ₂).re r₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:-((sin θ₁).re * (sin θ₂).re) + (cos θ₁).re * (cos θ₂).re = (cos θ₁).re * (cos θ₂).re - (sin θ₁).re * (sin θ₂).rer₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:(cos θ₁).re * (sin θ₂).re + (sin θ₁).re * (cos θ₂).re = (sin θ₁).re * (cos θ₂).re + (cos θ₁).re * (sin θ₂).re All goals completed! 🐙 -- Step 3 – refold r₁ * r₂ as (r₁ * r₂). _ = (r₁*r₂) * ((Real.cos (θ₁+θ₂)) + (Real.sin (θ₁+θ₂))*I) := r₁:r₂:θ₁:θ₂:r₁ * r₂ * ((Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + I * (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂))) = r₁ * r₂ * ((Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂)) * I) All goals completed! 🐙

A special case of multiplication in polar form when the two radii are both equal to 1.

(\cos θ_1+ i \sin θ_1)*(\cos θ_2+ i \sin θ_2) = \cos (θ_1+θ_2)+ i \sin (θ_1+θ_2)

theorem polar_mul' (θ₁ θ₂ : ) : ((Real.cos θ₁) + (Real.sin θ₁)*I) * ((Real.cos θ₂) + (Real.sin θ₂)*I) = (Real.cos (θ₁+θ₂)) + (Real.sin (θ₁+θ₂)*I) := θ₁:θ₂:((Real.cos θ₁) + (Real.sin θ₁) * I) * ((Real.cos θ₂) + (Real.sin θ₂) * I) = (Real.cos (θ₁ + θ₂)) + (Real.sin (θ₁ + θ₂)) * I All goals completed! 🐙

Definition 1.4.2. The argument of a nonzero complex number z is the angle from the positive real axis to the line segment joining 0 to z. We denote it by \arg(z). The argument is also called the phase or angle of z.

Definition 1.4.3. (Principal argument) If we choose the interval (-\pi, \pi] as the range, then for any nonzero complex number z the principal argument \theta_0 is the unique angle in (-\pi, \pi] satisfying

  • \cos\theta_0 = \frac{\operatorname{Re}(z)}{|z|}, and

  • \sin\theta_0 = \frac{\operatorname{Im}(z)}{|z|}.

We write \operatorname{Arg}(z) for the principal argument.

end Polar_form