Section outline

  • IGCSE Mathematics Resource Plus overview
    • Pure Mathematics 3
      3.9 Complex Numbers
    • Complex Numbers

    • This Teacher Pack will cover the following syllabus content:

      • understand the idea of a complex number, recall the meaning of the terms real part, imaginary part, modulus, argument, conjugate, and use the fact that two complex numbers are equal if and only if both real and imaginary parts are equal
      • carry out operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division of two complex numbers expressed in Cartesian form x + iy
      • use the result that, for a polynomial equation with real coefficients, any non-real roots occur in conjugate pairs
      • represent complex numbers geometrically by means of an Argand diagram
      • carry out operations of multiplication and division of two complex numbers expressed in polar form re^iθ=r(cos⁡θ+i sin⁡θ )
      • find the two square roots of a complex number
      • understand in simple terms the geometrical effects of conjugating a complex number and of adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing two complex numbers
      • illustrate simple equations and inequalities involving complex numbers by means of loci in an Argand diagram


      This unit of work is just one of several approaches you could take when teaching this topic, and you should aim to adapt the resources to match the ability level of your learners as well as your learner context.


  • Teaching resources

    • Interactive tools


      • Graph A4 4mm axes

      • Graph A4 4mm axes

      • Graph A4 4mm