Definition

A complex number is made up of two parts, a real part and an imaginary part. An example is

$ a+bi $, where $ a $ is the real part and $ b $ is the imaginary part.

Addition

$ (a + bj) + (c + dj) = (a + c) + (b + d)j $

Subtraction

$ (a + bj) - (c + dj) = (a - c) + (b - d)j $

Multiplication

$ (a + bj)(c + dj) = (ac - bd) + (ad + bc)j $

Division

$ \frac{(a + bj)}{(c + dj)} = \frac{(a + bj)(c - dj)}{(c + dj)(c - dj)} = \frac{(a + bj)(c - dj)}{(c^2 - d^2)} = \frac{(ac + bd) + (bc - ad)j}{(c^2 - d^2)} $

Applications

Applications include:

- Control Theory

- Fluid Flow

- Signal Processing

- Quantum Mechanics

- Relativity

- Fractals (my personal favorite)

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_numbers

Alumni Liaison

Ph.D. on Applied Mathematics in Aug 2007. Involved on applications of image super-resolution to electron microscopy

Francisco Blanco-Silva