Plotting Complex Numbers in the Plane

Algebra 2 Lesson Activities

Plotting Complex Numbers in the Plane The Lesson Activities will help you meet these educational goals:  Mathematical Practices—You will make sense of problems and solve them, reason abstractly and quantitatively, and use mathematics to model real-world situations.  STEM—You will apply mathematical and technology tools and knowledge to grow in your understanding of mathematics as a creative human activity.  21st Century Skills—You will use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.

Directions Save this document before beginning the lesson and keep the document open for reference during the lesson. Type your answers directly in this document for all activities. ______

Self-Checked Activities

Read the instructions for the following activities and type in your responses. At the end of the lesson, click the link to open the Student Answer Sheet. Use the answers or sample responses to evaluate your own work.

1. Plotting Complex Numbers Any complex number can be plotted on a graph with a real (horizontal) axis and an imaginary (vertical) axis.

a. Write a complex number that lies above the real axis and to the right of the imaginary axis. Then write a complex number that lies below the real axis and to the left of the imaginary axis.

Type your response here:

b. Write a complex number that lies above the real axis and to the left of the imaginary axis. Then write a complex number that lies below the real axis and to the right of the imaginary axis.

Type your response here:

c. Plot the four complex numbers you came up with on a graph.

d. List five complex numbers that fall inside the shaded region on this graph but do not lie on the curves forming the boundaries of the region.

Type your response here: e. This graph shows two line segments whose endpoints are pairs of complex numbers. What are these two pairs? What complex number is common to both lines?

2 Type your response here:

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