HSSC Forge / Maths 11th / Complex Numbers / Division

Division

There's no direct way to divide by c+dic + di, so instead you multiply top and bottom by its conjugate c−dic - di — this turns the denominator into a real number:

a+bic+di=(a+bi)(c−di)c2+d2\frac{a+bi}{c+di} = \frac{(a+bi)(c-di)}{c^2+d^2}

Example: 1+2i3−i\dfrac{1+2i}{3-i}. Multiply by 3+i3+i\dfrac{3+i}{3+i}:

(1+2i)(3+i)(3−i)(3+i)=3+i+6i+2i29+1=1+7i10=110+710i\frac{(1+2i)(3+i)}{(3-i)(3+i)} = \frac{3 + i + 6i + 2i^2}{9+1} = \frac{1+7i}{10} = \tfrac{1}{10} + \tfrac{7}{10}i

Division — Complex Numbers | HSSC Forge | Fazeel