Eulers Equation

The value of complex numbers was recognized but poorly understood

during the late Renaissance period (1500-1700 AD.) The number system
was explicitly studied in the late 18th century. Euler used i for the square
root of 1 in 1779. Gauss used the term complex in the early 1800s.

Elementary Functions
Part 5, Advanced Trigonometry
Lecture 5.7a, Eulers Marvelous Formula

The complex plane (Argand diagram or Gauss plane) was introduced

in a memoir by Argand in Paris in 1806, although it was implicit in the
doctoral dissertation of Gauss in 1799 and in work of Caspar Wessel
around the same time.

Dr. Ken W. Smith

Sam Houston State University

2013

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Eulers Equation

Eulers Equation

Notice the following remarkable fact that if

3 1
+ i = cos + i sin
z=
6
6
2
2

Euler would explain why that was true. Using the derivative and infinite
series, he would show that

then z 3 = i. (Multiply it out & see!) Thus z 12 = 1 and so z is a twelfth

root of 1.
Now the polar coordinate form for z is r = 1, = 6 , that is, z is exactly
one-twelfth of the way around the unit circle. z is a twelfth root of 1 and it
is one-twelfth of the way around the unit circle. This is not a coincidence!
DeMoivre apparently noticed this and proved (by induction, using sum of
angles formulas) that if n is an integer then
(cos + i sin )n = cos n + i sin n.

(1)

Thus exponentiation, that is raising a complex number to some power, is

equivalent to multiplication of the arguments. Somehow the angles in the
complex number act like exponents.
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ei = cos + i sin

(2)

By simple laws of exponents, (eiz )n = einz and so Eulers equation

explains DeMoivre formula.
This explains the coincidence we noticed with the complex number
z = cos 6 + i sin 6 which is one-twelfth of the way around the unit circle;
raising z to the twelfth power will simply multiply the angle by twelve
and move the point z to the point with angle 2: (1, 0) = 1 + 0i.

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Trig functions in terms of the exponential function

Trig functions in terms of the exponential function

Eulers formula

We wrote the exponential function in terms of cosine and sine

ei = cos + i sin
allows us to write the exponential function in terms of the two basic trig
functions, sine and cosine. We may then use Eulers formula to find a
formula for cos z and sin z as a sum of exponential functions.
By Eulers formula, with input z,

ei = cos + i sin
and then wrote the trig functions in terms of the exponential function!

eiz = cos(z) + i sin(z) = cos(z) i sin(z).

cos z =

eiz + eiz
2

sin z =

eiz eiz
2i

Add the expressions for eiz and eiz to get

eiz + eiz = 2 cos(z)
and so
cos z =

eiz + eiz
.
2

(3)

eiz

If we subtract the equation

= cos z i sin z from Eulers equation
and then divide by 2i, we have a formula for sine:
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eiz

eiz

sinElementary
z = Functions .
2i

2013

The exponential and trig functions are very closely related. Trig functions
are, in some sense, really exponential functions in disguise!
And conversely, the exponential functions are trig functions!

5 / 14
(4)

Some worked examples.

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Some worked examples.

Lets try out some applications of Eulers formula. Here are some worked
problems.
Put the complex number z = ei in the Cartesian form z = a + bi.
13
i
6

Solution. z = ei = 1(cos() + i sin()) = 1(1 + 0i) = 1

Put the complex number z = 2e

It seems remarkable that if we combine the three strangest math

constants, e, i and we get

Solution.

13
13

z = 2e 6 i = 2 cos( 13
)
+
2i
sin(
)
=
2
cos(
)
+
2i
sin(
)
=
3 + i.
6
6
6
6

in the Cartesian form z = a + bi.

ei = 1.
Some rewrite this in the form
ei + 1 = 0
(often seen on t-shirts for engineering clubs or math clubs.)
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Some worked examples.

Some worked examples.

Put the complex number z = 18 + 26i in the polar form z = rei where
r, R and both r and are positive.
Solution. The modulus of z = 18 + 26i is 182 +262 = 1000.
So the polar coordinate form of z = 18 + 26i is 103 ei where
26
). (The angle is about 0.96525166319.)
= arctan( 18

Find a cube root of the number z = 18 + 26i and put this cube root in the
Cartesian form z = a + bi. (Use a calculator and get an exact value for
this cube root.

Using the previous problem, we write z = 18 + 26i = 103 ei where

= arctan( 26
18 ).
The cube root of 103 ei is

10 ei 3
(The angle 3 is about 0.3217505544.) Using a calculator, we can see that
this comes out to approximately

10 cos( ) + i 10 sin( ) = 3 + i.
3
3

One could check by computing (3 + i)3 and see that we indeed get
18 + 26i.
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Some worked examples.

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Some worked examples.

A question found on the internet: What is ii ?

We can find one answer if we write the base i in polar form i = e 2 i .

Find a complex number z such that ln(1) = z.

Solutions. Since 1 in polar coordinate form is 1 = ei then z = i is a

solution to ln(1).

(More carefully, we might note that i = e 2 i+2ki , for any integer k.)

Then ii = (e 2 i )i = e 2 i = e 2

0.207879576350761908546955619834978770033877841631769608075135...

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Complex numbers v. Real numbers

Last Slide!

Here are some things one can do with the real numbers:
1

Show that f (x) = sin x is periodic with period 2, that is,

f (x + 2) = f (x).

Find an infinite set of numbers, x, such that sin(x) = 1/2.

Find a number x such that ex = 200.

Compute ln(2).

It is appropriate that we end our series of precalculus lectures with a

presentation of Eulers marvelous formula, which brings together both the
trigonometric functions and the exponential functions into one form!
The applications of this formula appear in all the technology around us,
and simplify many complicated mathematical computations!

Here are some things that require complex numbers:

1

Show that f (x) = ex is periodic with period 2i, that is,

f (x + 2i) = f (x).

Find an infinite set of numbers, x, such that ex = 1/2.

Find a number x such that sin(x) = 200.

Compute ln(2).

ei = cos + i sin

(End)

These are all topics for further exploration in a course in complex variables.
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