Complex Numbers

Joshua Im
January 27, 2023

This handout is uploaded to my personal website. Visit!

This handout covers complex numbers in intermediate-level. Since this handout is
aimed for students preparing for computational competitions, techniques used in
olympiads (e.g. complex bashing) are not included here.
This handout is written with assuming that people reading this are already familiar
with the standard form of complex numbers (including the arithmetic of it). If
you’re not familiar, read this handout by TheCALT.

Definitions and Terminology

1

Recall the definition of a complex number.

Definition 1: Complex Number (standard form)

A complex number z is a number of the form

z = a + bi
√
where a and b are real numbers, and i = −1.

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Complex Numbers Joshua Im (January 27, 2023)

We wish to interpret these numbers geometrically. Recall that we plot real

numbers in a line. We can do a similar thing for complex numbers. Let x-axis be
the real axis, and y-axis be the imaginary axis. Then, for any complex number
a + bi, there is exactly one point corresponding, namely (a, b). The figure above
shows −3 + 5i at (−3, 5), 3 + 2i at (3, 2), and 1 − 3i at (1, −3).
If we look at the number with polar coordinates, there exist a unique (r, θ) for
the point. Thus, the parameters r and θ give us an alternative way of specifying
complex numbers.

Definition 2: Complex Number (trigonometric form)

A complex number z is a number of the form

z = r(cos θ + i sin θ)

where r is the norm of z, and 0 ≤ θ < 2π.

Wait, what is a norm? Notice that when z is on the coordinate plane, r is the
distance between the origin and z.

Definition 3: Norm
A norm of a complex number is
p
|z| = r = a 2 + b2 .

We write the norm as an absolute value because the norm is the distance
between z and the origin. Now, With Euler’s formula

eiθ = cos θ + i sin θ,

we can write complex numbers in exponential form;

z = reiθ .

Definition 4: Conjugate
Let z = a + bi be a complex number. Then the conjugate of z is defined by

z̄ = a − bi.

It is not hard to show that z̄ = re−iθ . Also, a complex conjugate can also
be thought of as the reflection of a complex number about the real axis in the
complex plane. The figure shows the points corresponding to −3 + 5i, 3 + 2i, and
their complex conjugates.

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Basic Operations
2

Readers should already be familiar with basic arithmetic and properties of complex
numbers, in standard form. We move on to the operations in trigonometric form.

Let z1 = r1 eiθ1 , and z2 = r2 eiθ2 . Then,

z1 z2 = r1 r2 ei(θ1 +θ2 )

= r1 r2 cos(θ1 + θ2 ) + i sin(θ1 + θ2 ) .

Division is defined similarly.

Theorem 1: De Moivre’s Theorem

Let θ be an angle. Then,

(cos θ + i sin θ)n = cos nθ + i sin nθ.

This theorem makes computing complex powers much faster.

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Example 1
√
Compute ( 3 + i)6 .

Solution We have
√ 6
√ 3+i
( 3 + i)6 = 26 ·
2

= 26 · (eiπ/6 )6

= 26 · eiπ = −64.

Example 2 (2005 AIME II P9)

For how many positive integers n less than or equal to 1000 is

(sin t + i cos t)n = sin nt + i cos nt

true for all real t?

Walkthrough The problem looks a lot like De Moivre’s theorem.

1. Change the equation to De Moivre’s theorem with cos t = sin π

− t , and


2
vise versa.

2. Derive cos nπ
2 − nt = sin nt, and vise versa.

3. Finish. The answer is 250.

Complex Roots
3

We first state a lemma about the relationship between conjugate and the norm.

Lemma

We have |z|2 = z z̄.

Recall when the discriminant of a quadratic equation (with real coefficients) is

negative, then you get complex roots. These come in pairs: if z is a root to an
equation, then z̄ is also a root.

Lemma

Let P (x) be a polynomial. If a complex number z is a root of P (x), then its

conjugate z̄ is also a root.

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Example 3 (AMC 12B 2021 Spring P18)

Let z be a complex number satisfying 12|z|2 = 2|z + 2|2 + |z 2 + 1|2 + 31. What
is the value of z + z6 ?

Walkthrough Change |z|2 = z z̄ and bash. The answer is -2.

Example 4 (AMC 12B 2021 Fall P21)

For real numbers x, let

P (x) = 1 + cos(x) + i sin(x) − cos(2x) − i sin(2x) + cos(3x) + i sin(3x)

√
where i = −1. For how many values of x with 0 ≤ x < 2π does P (x) = 0?

Walkthrough Let z = cos x + i sin x.

1. Change P (x) in terms of z.

2. What norm should z have?

3. P (x) = 0 has one real root and two conjugate roots.

4. Let the real root be k. Prove that −1 < k < 0.

5. What value should kz z̄ have?

6. Is it possible to have a root with norm 1?

7. Finish. The answer is 0.

Trigonometry
4

Let z = eiθ = cos θ + i sin θ. Then, we have z̄ = e−iθ = cos θ − i sin θ. This gives
us the relationship with trigonometry.

Theorem 2: Relationship with Trigonometry

We have
eiθ + e−iθ
cos θ = and
2
eiθ − e−iθ
sin θ = .
2i

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Example 5
Find cos 4θ in terms of cos θ.

Walkthrough Let 2 cos θ = eiθ + e−iθ .

1. Square both sides, and rearrange the constant.

2. Divide both sides by 2. What do you get?

3. Repeat and finish. The answer is 8 cos4 θ − 8 cos2 θ + 1.

Example 6 (AMC 12A 2021 Spring P22)

Suppose that the roots of the polynomial P (x) = x3 + ax2 + bx + c are
7 , cos 7 , and cos 7 , where angles are in radians. What is abc?
cos 2π 4π 6π

Walkthrough But why abc.. too bash

1. Let ω = e2πi/7 .

2. Write cos 2π
7 , cos 7 , and cos 7 in terms of ω.
4π 6π

3. Write a, b, and c in terms of ω.

4. Finish. The answer is 1/32.

Roots of Unity
5

Definition 5: Root of Unity

The nth roots of unity are complex numbers z satisfying the equation

z n − 1 = 0.

By the fundamental theorem of algebra, there are n complex roots to this

equation. These numbers have a pattern.

Theorem 3
The nth roots of unity have the form

z = e2πi·k/n ,

where 0 ≤ k < n.

To see why this is true, plug in the formula. This is a powerful tool to close
the border between algebra and geometry. We start with a classic example.

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Example 7
Compute cos 40◦ + cos 80◦ + · · · + cos 320◦ .

Walkthrough This is a good example if you’re new to complex numbers.

1. What are the roots of x9 − 1?

2. Divide x9 − 1 by x − (cos 0◦ + i sin 0◦ ).

3. Use Vieta to finish. The answer is -1.

Example 8
Find the value of cos 72◦ .

Walkthrough Some students just try to memorize this value, but it’s useful if you
know how to derive it!

1. Let z = e2πi/5 . Find the equation (of degree 4) that z satisfies.

2. Express 2 cos 72◦ in terms of z.

√
3. Solve the equation and finish. The answer is (−1 + 5)/4.

Example 9 (2017 AMC 12A P17)

There are 24 different complex numbers z such that z 24 = 1. For how many of
these is z 6 a real number?

Walkthrough 17 17

1. What are the 24 different z?

2. Express z 6 with respect to 0 ≤ k ≤ 23.

3. Finish. The answer is 12.

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We now try to plot the roots of unity on the complex plane. These numbers
obviously lie on the unit circle with radius 1 because all the roots have norm 1.
The figure above shows a square and a regular pentagon formed by the 4th and
5th root of unity.
It is not hard to see that these points form a regular heptagon. To generalize:

Theorem 4: Roots of Unity form a Regular Polygon

The nth roots of unity form a regular n-gon on the complex plane.

Example 10 (OTIS - Cyclotomic)

Let n ≥ 3 be a positive integer. Let A1 A2 . . . An be a regular polygon inscribed
in a circle of radius 1. Find the value of

An A1 × An A2 × An An−1 .

Walkthrough Problem from Cyclotomic from OTIS. Let ω = e2πi/n .

1. Fix point An at (1, 0). Why is this possible?

2. Let A1 = ω. Show that the length of An A1 is |1 − ω|.

3. Consider the polynomial (x−ω)(x−ω 2 ) · · · (x−ω n−1 ). How can you simplify
this polynomial?

4. Plug in x = 1 and finish. The answer is n.

Vectors
6

Complex numbers can also be interpreted as vectors. For instance, z = a + bi

corresponds to the vector ⟨a, b⟩. But why?
−−→
Consider P (a, b) and Q(c, d). Then the vector P Q is ⟨c − a, d − b⟩. Now, let
p = a + bi and q = c + di. Then we get q − p = (c − a) + (d − b)i. See what’s going
−−→
on? We need to add P Q to go from P to Q, and we need to add q − p to move
point p to q!
To interpret complex numbers as vectors, suppose P (a, b) and p = a + bi. Then,
we can write →
−p = ⟨a, b⟩, which is a vector with initial point at the origin.
Therefore, some vector identities are also true when written by complex numbers!
The most basic and well-known example is about the centroid of a triangle.

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Theorem 5: Centroid of a Triangle

Let a, b, c be the complex numbers corresponding to points of a triangle.
Then, the centroid of the triangle corresponds to the vector 13 (a + b + c).

Example 11 (2012 AIME I P14)

Complex numbers a, b and c are the zeros of a polynomial P (z) = z 3 + qz + r,
and |a|2 + |b|2 + |c|2 = 250. The points corresponding to a, b, and c in the
complex plane are the vertices of a right triangle with hypotenuse h. Find h2 .

Walkthrough This is a very good example of alg and geo combined.

1. Deduce that the centroid of the triangle is at the origin.

2. Use Stewart’s theorem to get the relationship between |a|, |b|, |c|, and the
side lengths.

3. Finish. The answer is 375.

Example 12 (2001 AIME II P14)

There are 2n complex numbers that satisfy both z 28 − z 8 − 1 = 0 and |z| =
1. These numbers have the form zm = cos θm + i sin θm , where 0 ≤ θ1 <
θ2 < · · · < θ2n < 360 and angles are measured in degrees. Find the value of
θ2 + θ4 + · · · + θ2n .

Walkthrough This problem can be solved without vectors, but it’s more clear if
you use vectors.
1. Prove that z 28 and z 8 should have the same imaginary part.

2. Prove that the vertices O, z 8 , and z 28 form an equilateral triangle.

3. What values mod 2π can the argument of z 8 and z 28 have?

4. Finish. The answer is 840.

Rotations
7

Complex numbers are useful in geometry especially when rotations are involved.
How do we rotate a point? We consider the complex numbers as vectors.

Theorem 6: Rotating a Point

Let z be a complex number. The point obtained by rotating z θ radians
counterclockwise around the origin has complex number z · eiθ .

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Corollary : Rotating a Point, generalized

Let z be a complex number. The point obtained by rotating z θ radians
counterclockwise around the point ω has complex number eiθ (z − ω) + ω).

Rotating a point around a point that is not the origin comes out very rarely on
computational competitions, so the readers don’t have to memorize the formula.
To derive, shift points so that ω moves to the origin, rotate, and move ω back to
where it was.

Example 13 (Albert Shim)

As in the figure above, an equilateral triangle OAB is given on the first quad-
rant of the xy-plane. If point O is the origin, the coordinate of vertex A is
(8, p) and the equation of line OB is y = 8x, what is the value of p?

Walkthrough Needs some bashing, sadly

1. Write A as a complex number.

2. Find the complex number corresponding to B.

√
3. Finish. The answer is 64−8
√
8 3+1
3
.

Example 14 (2014 AIME II P10)

Let z be a complex number with |z| = 2014. Let P be the polygon in the
complex plane whose vertices are z and every w such that z+w
1
= z1 + w1 . Then
√
the area enclosed by P can be written in the form n 3, where n is an integer.
Find the remainder when n is divided by 1000.

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Walkthrough The rotation part comes at the very last.

1. Rearrange the equation, and get a quadratic equation in terms of ω/z.

2. Solve the quadratic equation.

3. Fix z. What points can ω be?

4. Finish. The solution is 147.

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Solutions to Examples
8

Example 2 (2005 AIME II P9)

For how many positive integers n less than or equal to 1000 is

(sin t + i cos t)n = sin nt + i cos nt

true for all real t?

Solution Since cos t = sin( π2 −t) and sin t = cos( π2 −t), the equation can be changed
to

sin nt + i cos nt = (sin t + i cos t)n

 π  π  n
= cos − t + i sin −t
2 2
 nπ   nπ 
= cos − nt + i sin − nt .
2 2
Therefore, we have
 nπ 
sin nt = cos − nt and
2
 nπ 
cos nt = sin − nt .
2
Since  nπ  π 
cos − nt = sin nt = cos − nt ,
2 2
We have
nπ π
− nt ≡ − nt (mod 2π).
2 2
Therefore, n ≡ 1 (mod 4), so there are 250 such n.

Example 3 (AMC 12B 2021 Spring P18)

Let z be a complex number satisfying 12|z|2 = 2|z + 2|2 + |z 2 + 1|2 + 31. What
is the value of z + z6 ?

Solution Changing |z|2 to z z̄, we get

12z z̄ = 2(z + 2)(z + 2) + (z 2 + 1)(z 2 + 1) + 31

= 2(z + 2)(z̄ + 2) + (z 2 + 1)(z̄ 2 + 1) + 31.

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Expanding and rearranging, we get

(z z̄ − 6)2 + (z + z̄ + 2)2 = 0.

Since z z̄ and z + z̄ are both real, we have

z z̄ − 6 = 0

z + z̄ + 2 = 0.

Therefore, z + 6
z = z + z̄ = −2.

Example 4 (AMC 12B 2021 Fall P21)

For real numbers x, let

P (x) = 1 + cos(x) + i sin(x) − cos(2x) − i sin(2x) + cos(3x) + i sin(3x)

√
where i = −1. For how many values of x with 0 ≤ x < 2π does P (x) = 0?

Solution Let z = cos x + i sin x. Then, P (x) = 1 + z − z 2 + z 3 . We now need to

find the number of roots of P (x) with norm 1.
By the intermediate value theorem, since P (−1) < 0 and P (0) > 0, there is a
real root k strictly between −1 and 0. Since this is the only real root, there are
complex conjugate roots, z and z̄.
By Vieta, we have kz z̄ = −1. Since −1 < k < 0, z z̄ = |z|2 > 1. Therefore, there
are no roots with norm 1.

Example 5
Find cos 4θ in terms of cos θ.

Solution Since cos θ = (eiθ + e−iθ )/2, eiθ + e−iθ = 2 cos θ. Squaring both sides, we
have

4 cos2 θ = (eiθ + e−iθ )2

= e2iθ + e−2iθ + 2,

so e2iθ + e−2iθ = 4 cos2 θ − 2. Again, squaring both sides gives

16 cos4 θ − 16 cos2 θ + 4 = (e2iθ + e−2iθ )2

= e4iθ + e−4iθ + 2.

Therefore, cos 4θ = (e4iθ + e−4iθ )/2 = 8 cos4 θ − 8 cos2 θ + 1.

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Example 6 (AMC 12A 2021 Spring P22)

Suppose that the roots of the polynomial P (x) = x3 + ax2 + bx + c are
7 , cos 7 , and cos 7 , where angles are in radians. What is abc?
cos 2π 4π 6π

Solution Let ω = e2iπ/7 . We have

2π ω + ω −1
cos =
7 2
4π ω 2 + ω −2
cos =
7 2
6π ω 3 + ω −3
cos = ,
7 2
and 1 + ω + ω 2 + · · · + ω 6 = 0. Now, by Vieta, we have

ω + ω 2 + ω 3 + ω −1 + ω −2 + ω −3
a=−
2
ω + ω2 + · · · + ω6
=−
2
1
= ,
2

ω 3 + ω + ω −1 + ω −3 ω 5 + ω + ω −1 + ω −5 ω 4 + ω 2 + ω −2 + ω −4
b= + +
4 4 4
2(ω + ω 2 + · · · + ω 6 )
=
4
1
=− ,
2
and
ω 6 + ω 4 + ω 2 + ω 0 + ω 0 + ω −2 + ω −4 + ω −6
c=−
8
(ω 6 + ω 5 + · · · + ω 0 ) + ω 0
=−
8
1
=− .
8
Therefore, abc = 1/32.

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Example 7
Compute cos 40◦ + cos 80◦ + · · · + cos 320◦ .

Solution Let ω = cos 40◦ + i sin◦ . Then, ω, ω 2 , . . . , ω 9 = 1 are roots to the

equation x9 = 1. So

x9 − 1 = (x − ω)(x − ω 2 ) · · · (x − ω 8 )(x − 1),

and
x9 − 1
(x − ω)(x − ω 2 ) · · · (x − ω 8 ) = = x8 + x7 + · · · + x + 1.
x−1
Therefore,

cos 40◦ + cos 80◦ + · · · + cos 320◦ = ℜ(ω + ω 2 + · · · + ω 8 )

= ℜ(−1) = −1

by Vieta.

Example 8
Find the value of cos 72◦ .

Solution Let z = e2πi/5 . Then, z 5 − 1 = 0. Since z ̸= 1, we can divide the equation

by z − 1, which gives
z 4 + z 3 + z 2 + z + 1 = 0.
Let t = 2 cos 72◦ = z + z1 . Then, dividing the whole equation by z 2 ,
 2  
2 1 1 1 1
z +z+1+ + 2 = z+ + z+ −1
z z z z

= t2 + t − 1 = 0.
√ √
Solving, we get t = 2 cos 72◦ = (−1 + 5)/2. Therefore, cos 72◦ = (−1 + 5)/4.

Example 9 (2017 AMC 12A P17)

There are 24 different complex numbers z such that z 24 = 1. For how many of
these is z 6 a real number?

Solution The 24 different complex numbers are ekπi/12 where k = 0, 1, . . . , 23.

To make z 6 = e6kπi/12 real, 6k/12 should be an integer, so k = 0, 2, . . . , 22.
Therefore, there are 12 such complex numbers.

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Example 10 (OTIS - Cyclotomic)

Let n ≥ 3 be a positive integer. Let A1 A2 . . . An be a regular polygon inscribed
in a circle of radius 1. Find the value of

An A1 × An A2 × ·An An−1 .

Solution Let ω = e2πi/n , and plot Ai at ω i on the complex plane. Then, the length
of An Ai is |1 − ω i |. So the desired value is

|1 − ω| · |1 − ω 2 | · · · · · |1 − ω n−1 |.

Since the polynomial with roots ω, ω 2 , . . . , ω n−1 is

P (x) = (x − ω)(x − ω 2 ) · · · (x − ω n−1 )

= xn−1 + xn−2 + · · · + x + 1,

the desired value is |P (1)|, which is n.

Example 11 (2012 AIME I P14)

Complex numbers a, b and c are the zeros of a polynomial P (z) = z 3 + qz + r,
and |a|2 + |b|2 + |c|2 = 250. The points corresponding to a, b, and c in the
complex plane are the vertices of a right triangle with hypotenuse h. Find h2 .

Solution By Vieta, we have a + b + c = 0. Since 31 (a + b + c) = 0, the centroid of

the triangle is the origin.

R P

A Q C

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Complex Numbers Joshua Im (January 27, 2023)

We now have AG2 + BG2 + CG2 = 250. By Stewart, we get

BC 2 = 4BP 2

= 2(BG2 + CG2 ) − 4GP 2

= 2(BG2 + CG2 ) − AG2 .

Similarly,

CA2 = 2(CG2 + AG2 ) − BG2

AB 2 = 2(AG2 + BG2 ) − CG2 .

Adding the three equations we get

AB 2 + BC 2 + CA2 = 2h2

= 3(AG2 + BG2 + CG2 )

= 750,

so h2 = 375.

Example 12 (2001 AIME II P14)

There are 2n complex numbers that satisfy both z 28 − z 8 − 1 = 0 and |z| =
1. These numbers have the form zm = cos θm + i sin θm , where 0 ≤ θ1 <
θ2 < · · · < θ2n < 360 and angles are measured in degrees. Find the value of
θ2 + θ4 + · · · + θ2n .

Solution Consider a vector from z 8 to z 28 . This vector is ⟨1, 0⟩. Therefore, z 28 and
z 8 should have the same imaginary part. Now, since z 28 and z 8 are on the unit
circle, |z 28 | = |z 8 | = 1. So the vertices O, z 8 , and z 28 form an equilateral triangle.
Let z = eiθ . Then, we should have

28θ ≡ ±60◦ (mod 2π), and

8θ ≡ ±120◦ (mod 2π).

Therefore, θ can be 15◦ , 75◦ , 105◦ , 165◦ , 195◦ , 255◦ , 285◦ , and 345◦ . The desired
value is
75 + 165 + 255 + 345 = 840.

Example 13 (Albert Shim)

As in the figure above, an equilateral triangle OAB is given on the first quad-
rant of the xy-plane. If point O is the origin, the coordinate of vertex A is
(8, p) and the equation of line OB is y = 8x, what is the value of p?

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Complex Numbers Joshua Im (January 27, 2023)

Solution Let a = 8 + pi be the complex number corresponding to A. Then, since

OA = OB and ∠AOB = 60◦ , we have
◦
b = a · ei·60
√ !
1 + 3i
= (8 + pi)
2
√ √
(8 − 3p) + (p + 8 3)i
= ,
2
where b is the complex number corresponding to B. Since B is on the line y = 8x,
√ √
p+8 3 8 − 3p
=8· .
2 2
√
Therefore, we have p = 64−8
√
8 3+1
3
.

Example 14 (2014 AIME II P10)

Let z be a complex number with |z| = 2014. Let P be the polygon in the
complex plane whose vertices are z and every w such that z+w
1
= z1 + w1 . Then
√
the area enclosed by P can be written in the form n 3, where n is an integer.
Find the remainder when n is divided by 1000.

Solution Rearranging the equation gives

z 2 + zω + ω 2 = 0.

Dividing by 2 , we get a quadratic equation:

 ω 2 ω
+ + 1 = 0.
z z

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Complex Numbers Joshua Im (January 27, 2023)

Solving, we get ω/z = e2πi/3 , e4πi/3 . Fixing z at (2014, 0), we get ω = 2014e
√
2πi/3
,
2014e 4πi/3
. Therefore,
√ P is an equilateral triangle with side length 2014 3. The
area of P is 3 · 10072 3, so 3 · 10072 ≡ 3 · 72 = 147 (mod 1000).

Problems
9

Basics
Problems here can be solved only using the basic properties of complex numbers.

Problem 1 (2018 AIME II P5)

Suppose that x, y, and z are complex numbers
√ such that xy = −80 − 320i,
yz = 60, and zx = −96 + 24i, where i = −1. Then there are real numbers a
and b such that x + y + z = a + bi. Find a2 + b2 .

Problem 2 (2010 AIME II P7)

Let P (z) = z 3 + az 2 + bz + c, where a, b, and c are real. There exists a complex
number w such that the three roots of P (z) are w + 3i, w + 9i, and 2w − 4,
where i2 = −1. Find |a + b + c|.

Problem 3 (2012 AIME II P8)

The complex numbers z and w satisfy the system

20i
z+ =5+i
w
12i
w+ = −4 + 10i.
z
Find the smallest possible value of |zw|2 .

De Moivre’s Theorem

Problem 4 (2022 AIME I P4)

√ √
3+i −1 + i 3 √
Let w = and z = , where i = −1. Find the number
2 2
of ordered pairs (r, s) of positive integers not exceeding 100 that satisfy the
equation i · wr = z s .

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Problem 5 (2016 AIME I P6)

The complex numbers
z and w satisfy z = w, w = z, and the imaginary
13 11

part of z is sin n for relatively prime positive integers m and n with m < n.
mπ

Find n.

Problem 6 (2019 AIME II P10)

There is a unique angle θ between 0◦ and 90◦ such that for nonnegative integers
n, the value of tan (2n θ) is positive when n is a multiple of 3, and negative
otherwise. The degree measure of θ is pq , where p and q are relatively prime
integers. Find p + q.

Trigonometry

Problem 7 (2000 AIME II P9)

Given that z is a complex number such that z + 1
z = 2 cos 3◦ , find the least
integer that is greater than z 2000 + z2000
1
.

Problem 8 (PUMaC 2010 Division A Algebra P7)

√
The expression sin 2◦ sin 4◦ sin 6◦ · · · sin 90◦ is equal to p 5/250 , where p is an
integer. Find p.

Roots of Unity

Problem 9 (1990 AIME P10)

The sets A = {z : z 18 = 1} and B = {w : w48 = 1} are both sets of complex
roots of unity. The set C = {zw : z ∈ A and w ∈ B} is also a set of complex
roots of unity. How many distinct elements are in C?

Problem 10 (2019 AIME II P8)

The polynomial f (z) =√ az 2018 + bz 2017 + cz 2016 has real coefficients not ex-
√
ceeding 2019, and f ( 1+2 3i ) = 2015 + 2019 3i. Find the remainder when f (1)
is divided by 1000.

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Problem 11 (2004 AIME I P13)

The polynomial

P (x) = (1 + x + x2 + · · · + x17 )2 − x17

has 34 complex roots of the form zk = rk cos(2πak ) + i sin(2πak ) , k =

1, 2, 3, . . . , 34, with 0 < a1 ≤ a2 ≤ a3 ≤ · · · ≤ a34 < 1 and rk > 0. Given

that a1 + a2 + a3 + a4 + a5 = m/n, where m and n are relatively prime positive
integers, find m + n.

Rotations

Problem 12 (2014 AIME I P7)

Let w and
z be complex numbers such that |w| = 1 and |z| = 10. Let θ =
arg w−zz . The maximum possible value of tan2
θ can be written as pq , where
p and q are relatively prime positive integers. Find p + q. (Note that arg(w),
for w ̸= 0, denotes the measure of the angle that the ray from 0 to w makes
with the positive real axis in the complex plane.

Problem 13 (2015 AIME II P13)

Pn
Define the sequence a1 , a2 , a3 , . . . by an = k=1 sin(k), where k represents
radian measure. Find the index of the 100th term for which an < 0.

Vectors

Problem 14 (2018 AIME I P6)

Let N be the number of complex numbers z with the properties that |z| = 1
and z 6! − z 5! is a real number. Find the remainder when N is divided by 1000.

Mixed Practice

Problem 15 (2023 AIME II P8)

√
Let ω = cos 2π
7 + i · sin 7 , where i =
2π
−1. Find

6
Y
(ω 3k + ω k + 1).
k=0

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Complex Numbers Joshua Im (January 27, 2023)

Problem 16 (2020 AIME I P8)

A bug walks all day and sleeps all night. On the first day, it starts at point
O, faces east, and walks a distance of 5 units due east. Each night the bug
rotates 60◦ counterclockwise. Each day it walks in this new direction half as
far as it walked the previous day. The bug gets arbitrarily close to point P .
Then OP 2 = m n , where m and n are relatively prime positive integers. Find
m + n.

Problem 17 (Math Prize for Girls 2016 P12)

Let b1 , b2 , b3 , c1 , c2 , and c3 be real numbers such that for every real number
x, we have

x6 − x5 + x4 − x3 + x2 − x + 1 = (x2 + b1 x + c1 )(x2 + b2 x + c2 )(x2 + b3 x + c3 ).

Compute b1 c1 + b2 c2 + b3 c3 .

Problem 18 (1994 AIME P13)

The equation
x10 + (13x − 1)10 = 0
has 10 complex roots r1 , r1 , r2 , r2 , r3 , r3 , r4 , r4 , r5 , r5 , where the bar denotes
complex conjugation. Find the value of
1 1 1 1 1
+ + + + .
r1 r1 r2 r2 r3 r3 r4 r4 r5 r5

Problem 19 (2013 AIME I P14)

For π ≤ θ < 2π, let

1 1 1 1 1 1 1
P = cos θ− sin 2θ− cos 3θ+ sin 4θ+ cos 5θ− sin 6θ− cos 7θ+. . .
2 4 8 16 32 64 128
and
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Q = 1− sin θ− cos 2θ+ sin 3θ+ cos 4θ− sin 5θ− cos 6θ+ sin 7θ+. . .
2 4 8 16 32 64 128
√
so that QP
= 2 7 2 . Then sin θ = − m
n where m and n are relatively prime
positive integers. Find m + n.

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Complex Numbers Joshua Im (January 27, 2023)

Problem 20 (Math Prize for Girls 2015 P15)

Let z1 , z2 , z3 , and z4 be the four distinct complex solutions of the equation

z 4 − 6z 2 + 8z + 1 = −4(z 3 − z + 2)i.

Find the sum of the six pairwise distances between z1 , z2 , z3 , and z4 .

Problem 21 (Math Prize for Girls 2012 P13)

For how many integers n with 1 ≤ n ≤ 2012 is the product
n−1
Y  n 
1 + e2πik/n +1
k=0

equal to zero?

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Complex Numbers Joshua Im (January 27, 2023)

Answers
• Problem 1 (2018 AIME II P5): 074

• Problem 2 (2010 AIME II P7): 136

• Problem 3 (2012 AIME II P8): 040

• Problem 4 (2022 AIME I P4): 834

• Problem 5 (2016 AIME I P6): 071

• Problem 6 (2019 AIME II P10): 547

• Problem 7 (2000 AIME II P9): 000

• Problem 8 (PUMaC 2010 Division A Algebra P7): 192

• Problem 9 (1990 AIME P10): 144

• Problem 10 (2019 AIME II P8): 053

• Problem 11 (2004 AIME I P13): 482

• Problem 12 (2014 AIME I P7): 100

• Problem 13 (2015 AIME II P13): 628

• Problem 14 (2018 AIME I P6): 440

• Problem 15 (2023 AIME II P8): 024

• Problem 16 (2020 AIME I P8): 103

• Problem 17 (Math Prize for Girls 2016 P12): -1

• Problem 18 (1994 AIME P13): 850

• Probelm 19 (2013 AIME I P14): 036

√
• Problem 20 (Math Prize for Girls 2015 P15): 6 + 6 3

• Problem 21 (Math Prize for Girls 2012 P13): 670

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