Proposition 1.2.7: Adding complex numbers geometrically

For any complex numbers z and w you can find the sum z+w by attaching the vector w to the tip of the vector z and completing a paralellogram. The diagonal of that paralellogram is the vector z+w.

To find the difference z-w, reverse the vector w and find z+(-w).

Context Context

You can easily verify this by writing z and w as vectors in R2.


Adding vectors z and w
Subtracting vectors z and w

Interactive Complex Analysis, ver. 1.0.0
(c) 2006-2007, Bert G. Wachsmuth
Page last modified: May 29, 2007