- #1
micromass said:##(-1)^{10} = 1##
micromass said:There is a difference between ##-1^{10}##, which is apparently what the calculators are doing and ##(-1)^{10}##.
micromass said:For example:
[tex](-1)^4 = (-1)\cdot (-1)\cdot (-1)\cdot (-1) = 1[/tex]
while
[tex]-1^4 = - (1\cdot 1\cdot 1\cdot 1) = -1[/tex]
A complex number is a number that contains both a real part and an imaginary part. It is represented in the form of a + bi, where a is the real part and bi is the imaginary part with the imaginary unit i equal to sqrt(-1).
To add or subtract complex numbers, you simply add or subtract the real parts and the imaginary parts separately. For example, (3+2i) + (5+4i) = (3+5) + (2+4)i = 8 + 6i.
The conjugate of a complex number is formed by changing the sign of the imaginary part. For example, the conjugate of 3+2i is 3-2i. This is useful in dividing complex numbers.
To multiply complex numbers, you use the FOIL method just like with binomials. For example, (3+2i)(5+4i) = 3(5) + 3(4i) + 2i(5) + 2i(4i) = 15 + 12i + 10i + 8i^2 = 15 + 22i - 8 = 7 + 22i. To divide complex numbers, you use the conjugate of the denominator to simplify the expression.
Complex numbers have many applications in mathematics, engineering, and physics. They are used in electrical engineering for AC circuit analysis, in signal processing for analyzing waveforms, and in quantum mechanics for modeling physical systems. They are also used in graphics and animation to represent 2D and 3D objects.