Real and Complex Products of Complex Numbers

Complex numbers, as an ordered pair of real numbers, can be identified with either points or vectors in the plane. The Argand diagram, with its axes and the origin, explicitly associates complex numbers with points. The operations of addition and multiplication highlight the implicit vector link. This is especially obvious in the case of addition, which is illustrated graphically with the parallelogram rule.

Two uncommon borrowings from the vector algebra have been demonstrated in a recent book by T. Andreescu to provide powerful tools for solving complex number problems.

The real product is a complex number incarnation of the scalar product (and this is what it is called in Gardiner, Bradley, p. 239]):

It is important (although difficult) to distinguish between the symbols for the common symbol of multiplication z·w (= zw) and the symbol for the real product z.w. Usually the context is indicative of which one is used and, in addition, the symbol is never omitted (as in zw) for the real product.

Assuming z = z₁ + iz₂ and w = w₁ + iw₂,

so that

which we may call the real form of the real product, for it shows immediately that the real product is always a real number. Since (z'w)' = zw', we may obtain the same from the definition:

which is not as symmetric as (2), but may be computationally useful. There is also a symmetric derivation:

The real product has the following properties:

1. z.z = |z|².
2. z.w = w.z.
3. r(z.w) = (rz).w = z.(rw), for any real r.
4. z.(u + v) = z.u + z.v.
5. z.w = 0 iff OZ ⊥ OW, where O, Z, W are the points with coordinates 0, z, w.
6. (zu).(zv) = |z|²(u.v).

Maxwell's theorem serves a nice application for #5.

The complex product is the incarnation of the vector product in complex terms (in [Gardiner, Bradley, p. 239] the product is designated exterior):

which says that z×w is purely imaginary and justifies the terminology.

The complex product have the following properties:

1. For z,w ≠ 0, z×w = 0 iff z = sw for some real s.
2. z×w = - w×z. (anticommutativity)
3. z×(u + v) = z×u + z×v.
4. s(z×w) = (sz)×w = z×(sw), for any real s.
5. z×w = 0 iff O, Z, W are collinear, where O, Z, W are the points with coordinates 0, z, w.

... to be continued ...

References

1. T. Andreescu, D. Andrica, Complex Numbers From A to ... Z, Birkhäuser, 2006
2. C. W. Dodge, Euclidean Geometry and Transformations, Dover, 2004 (reprint of 1972 edition)
3. A. D. Gardiner, C. J. Bradley, Plane Euclidean Geometry: Theory and Problems, UKMT, 2005
4. Liang-shin Hahn, Complex Numbers & Geometry, MAA, 1994

Complex Numbers

1. Algebraic Structure of Complex Numbers
2. Division of Complex Numbers
3. Useful Identities Among Complex Numbers
4. Useful Inequalities Among Complex Numbers
5. Trigonometric Form of Complex Numbers
6. Real and Complex Products of Complex Numbers
7. Complex Numbers and Geometry
8. Remarks on the History of Complex Numbers
   • First Geometric Interpretation of Negative and Complex Numbers
9. Complex Numbers: an Interactive Gizmo
10. Cartesian Coordinate System
11. Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
12. Complex Number To a Complex Power May Be Real
13. One can't compare two complex numbers
14. Riemann Sphere and Möbius Transformation
15. Problems
    • Product of Diagonals in Regular N-gon
    • Sum of the Nth Roots of Unity
    • Napoleon's Relatives
    • Distance between the Orthocenter and Circumcenter

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