Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Euler's formula
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==== Interpretation of the formula ==== This formula can be interpreted as saying that the function {{math|''e''<sup>''iΟ''</sup>}} is a [[unit complex number]], i.e., it traces out the [[unit circle]] in the [[complex plane]] as {{mvar|Ο}} ranges through the real numbers. Here {{mvar|Ο}} is the [[angle]] that a line connecting the origin with a point on the unit circle makes with the [[positive real axis]], measured counterclockwise and in [[radian]]s. The original proof is based on the [[Taylor series]] expansions of the [[exponential function]] {{math|''e''<sup>''z''</sup>}} (where {{mvar|z}} is a complex number) and of {{math|sin ''x''}} and {{math|cos ''x''}} for real numbers {{mvar|x}} ([[Euler's formula#Using power series|see above]]). In fact, the same proof shows that Euler's formula is even valid for all ''complex'' numbers {{mvar|x}}. A point in the [[complex plane]] can be represented by a complex number written in [[Coordinates (elementary mathematics)#Cartesian coordinates|cartesian coordinates]]. Euler's formula provides a means of conversion between cartesian coordinates and [[Polar coordinate system|polar coordinates]]. The polar form simplifies the mathematics when used in multiplication or powers of complex numbers. Any complex number {{math|1 = ''z'' = ''x'' + ''iy''}}, and its complex conjugate, {{math|1 = {{overline|''z''}} = ''x'' β ''iy''}}, can be written as <math display="block">\begin{align} z &= x + iy = |z| (\cos \varphi + i\sin \varphi) = r e^{i \varphi}, \\ \bar{z} &= x - iy = |z| (\cos \varphi - i\sin \varphi) = r e^{-i \varphi}, \end{align}</math> where *{{math|1=''x'' = Re ''z''}} is the real part, *{{math|1=''y'' = Im ''z''}} is the imaginary part, *{{math|1=''r'' = {{abs|''z''}} = {{sqrt|''x''<sup>2</sup> + ''y''<sup>2</sup>}}}} is the [[magnitude (mathematics)|magnitude]] of {{mvar|z}} and *{{math|1=''Ο'' = arg ''z'' = [[atan2]](''y'', ''x'')}}. {{mvar|Ο}} is the [[arg (mathematics)|argument]] of {{mvar|z}}, i.e., the angle between the ''x'' axis and the vector ''z'' measured counterclockwise in [[radian]]s, which is defined [[up to]] addition of {{math|2''Ο''}}. Many texts write {{math|1=''Ο'' = tan<sup>β1</sup> ''{{sfrac|y|x}}''}} instead of {{math|1= ''Ο'' = atan2(''y'', ''x'')}}, but the first equation needs adjustment when {{math|''x'' β€ 0}}. This is because for any real {{mvar|x}} and {{mvar|y}}, not both zero, the angles of the vectors {{math|(''x'', ''y'')}} and {{math|(β''x'', β''y'')}} differ by {{pi}} radians, but have the identical value of {{math|1=tan ''Ο'' = {{sfrac|''y''|''x''}}}}.
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)