Rotation × Complex Numbers — GeoGebra Exploration
(Student Worksheet)
Name: ______________________________ Date: ____________ Class: ____________
Learning Targets
• Interpret a complex number as a point/vector on the plane.
• Observe that multiplying by a complex number w = r(cosθ + i sinθ) rotates by θ and scales
by r.
• Connect algebraic multiplication (a+bi)(x+iy) with the geometric rotate+scale
transformation.
Setup in GeoGebra
1) Create sliders r (0.2 to 3, step 0.1) and θ (−180° to 180°, step 5°).
2) Place a free point Z anywhere (this represents z).
3) Define W in the Input Bar: W = (r * cos(θ°), r * sin(θ°)).
4) Create Z_rot = Rotate[Z, θ°, (0,0)] and Zw_geo = Dilate[Z_rot, r, (0,0)].
5) Define an algebraic multiplication helper: mult(P,Q) = ( x(P)*x(Q) - y(P)*y(Q) , x(P)*y(Q)
+ y(P)*x(Q) ).
6) Compute Zw_alg = mult(Z, W). Show Unit Circle x^2 + y^2 = 1. Display vectors from the
origin to Z, W, and Zw_geo.
Part A — Pure Rotations (r = 1)
1) Set r = 1. Drag θ through several values. Record your observations:
θ (degrees) arg(Z) before → after Observation about rotation
2) Conjecture A: Multiplying by e^{iθ} rotates z by __________ degrees.
Part B — Scaling & Rotation
Fix θ = 45°. Vary r from 0.5 to 2.0. Measure lengths |Z| and |Zw|.
r |Z| |Zw|
Conjecture B: |Zw| = ______ × |Z|.
Part C — Angle Addition
Vary both sliders. Compare angles α = arg(Z), β = arg(W), γ = arg(Zw_geo). Record three
trials.
Trial α (arg Z) β (arg W) γ (arg Zw)
Claim C: γ ≈ α + β (mod 360°). Explain why this makes sense using vectors:
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Part D — Algebra vs Geometry Check
Toggle Zw_geo and Zw_alg. Do the points coincide for all settings? If yes, explain why the
mult(P,Q) formula reproduces rotate+scale:
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Part E — Special Case w = i
Set r = 1 and θ = 90°. Hand-calc: i(x + i y) = ______ + i(______ ). What geometric transformation
is this?
Answer: _________________________________________________________________
Extensions (choose one)
E1. Regular n-gon: Set r = 1 and θ = 360°/n. Generate points z, wz, w^2 z, …, w^{n−1} z.
What shape appears? Why?
E2. Solve-to-real: For a chosen nonzero Z, find W with |W| = 1 such that WZ lies on the
positive real axis and |WZ| = 3. Describe how you chose r and θ.
E3. Direct complex algebra: Expand (a+bi)(x+iy) in the CAS. Compare with the mult(P,Q)
definition.
Exit Ticket
1) What is the image of z = 1 − i under multiplication by 1 + i? (Compute and describe the
rotate/scale.)
2) Which complex numbers represent pure rotations?
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