Lesson Plan: Operations on Complex Numbers in Polar Form Mathematics

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This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to perform calculations with complex numbers in polar form.

Objectives

Students will be able to

understand that multiplication and division of complex numbers are often simpler in polar form than Cartesian (algebraic) form,
understand the effect of multiplication and division on the argument and moduli of complex numbers,
multiply and divide two (or more) complex numbers in polar form,
multiply and divide two (or more) complex numbers in polar form and express the result in algebraic form,
Extend the knowledge of multiplication and division of complex numbers in polar form to evaluate simple exponents, such as reciprocals, squares, and cubes.

Prerequisites

Students should already be familiar with

Cartesian and polar forms of a complex number,
converting complex numbers between Cartesian and polar forms,
Argand diagrams,
complex conjugates and their properties.

Exclusions

Students will not cover

questions only involving addition and subtraction of complex numbers,
the exponential form of a complex number,
de Moivre’s theorem.