What does it mean to factor over the complex numbers?

What does it mean to factor over the complex numbers?

Over the complex numbers, every polynomial (with real-valued coefficients) can be factored into a product of linear factors. We can state this also in root language: Over the complex numbers, every polynomial of degree n (with real-valued coefficients) has n roots, counted according to their multiplicity.

Are complex and imaginary roots the same?

The roots belong to the set of complex numbers, and will be called “complex roots” (or “imaginary roots”). These complex roots will be expressed in the form a + bi.

How do you write something as a difference?

Well, difference means “subtract,” so it will involve subtracting two things. Two squares means there will be two perfect squares in the difference; that is, two numbers that come from squaring other numbers (like 4, which is 2 squared, or x2, which is x times x). Type your polynomial into the box to the right.

When you can factor expressions using difference of two squares?

When an expression can be viewed as the difference of two perfect squares, i.e. a²-b², then we can factor it as (a+b)(a-b). For example, x²-25 can be factored as (x+5)(x-5). This method is based on the pattern (a+b)(a-b)=a²-b², which can be verified by expanding the parentheses in (a+b)(a-b).

When is a complex number equal to its complex conjugate?

A significant property of the complex conjugate is that a complex number is equal to its complex conjugate if its imaginary part is zero, that is, if the complex number is real. For any two complex numbers w,z:

How to multiply by complex conjugate Companion of denominator?

The magic trick is to multiply numerator and denominator by the complex conjugate companion of the denominator, in our example we multiply by 1+i: Since (1+i)(1-i)=2 and (2+3i)(1+i)=-1+5i, we get and we are done! You can find more information in our Complex NumbersSection.

Which is the conjugate of R E I φ?

In polar form, the conjugate of r e i φ {displaystyle re^{ivarphi }} is r e − i φ {displaystyle re^{-ivarphi }} . This can be shown using Euler’s formula. The product of a complex number and its conjugate is a real number: a 2 + b 2 {displaystyle a^{2}+b^{2}} or r 2 {displaystyle r^{2}} in polar coordinates.

Why are complex conjugates important to the study of polynomials?

Complex conjugates are important for finding roots of polynomials. According to the complex conjugate root theorem, if a complex number is a root to a polynomial in one variable with real coefficients (such as the quadratic equation or the cubic equation ), so is its conjugate.