The class checks to see if the formula for finding powers of a complex number works to find the roots too.  Pupils review the previous day's work and graph on the polar grid. The discussion leads the class to think about how to reverse the process and find roots. At the end of the 20th segment of 32, the class determines the formula for finding nth roots of any complex number.

Concepts

rational exponents, roots, exponents, fractional exponents, complex numbers, complex plane, polar form

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• Spend some time plotting complex numbers on the polar grid
• Review the number of complex roots for a real number by using the concept of complex roots for a polynomial function

Classroom Considerations

• The class should understand the relationship between nth roots and fractional exponents

Pros

• The answer keys show the steps for each computation
• The lesson plan contains a copy of the polar grid

Cons

• None

Common Core

HSN-CN.B.4 HSN-CN.B.5 MP3 MP6 MP7