Roots (Algebra)

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This question consists of multiple questions but I am stuck on the very last one but without showing the first two the last one will be hard to understand so I'll show all my work:


13a) $w$ is one of the complex cube roots of $1$

$Show$ $that$ $$ w^2 + w + 1 = 0 $$

I did this question by

$$ w^3 = 1 $$

$$ w = 1 cis \left(\frac{\ 2πk}{3}\right) $$

Setting k = 1

$$ w = 1 cis \left(\frac{\ 2π}{3}\right) $$

$$ w = {-1\over 2} + {\sqrt{3}\over 2}i$$

and by plugging this into the quadratic equation above

$$ w^2 + w + 1 = 0 $$ thus LHS = RHS


b)

$The$ $second$ $part$ $was$ $prove$ $that$

$$ {1\over(w^2 + w^4)} = -1 $$

and by plugging in

$$ w = {-1\over 2} + {\sqrt{3}\over 2}i$$

I get

$$ {1\over(({-1\over 2} - {\sqrt{3}\over 2}) + ({-1\over 2} + {\sqrt{3}\over 2} )} = -1 $$

$$ {1\over(-1)} = -1 $$

$$ -1 = -1 $$

$$ LHS = RHS $$

Therefore the statement is proven.


Now this is the question that I am stuck on:

$c)$ $Given$ $that$ $the$ $conjugate$ $of$ $w$ $is$ $equal$ $to$ $w^2$ $,$ $find$ $the$ $conjugate$ $of$ $1+w$ $in$ $terms$ $of$ $w.$

So from my previous answers above

$$ w = {-1\over 2} + {\sqrt{3}\over 2}i$$

$$\overline{w} = {-1\over 2} - {\sqrt{3}\over 2}i = w^2 $$

$$ 1+w = {1\over 2} + {\sqrt{3}\over 2}i $$

How would I write this in terms of w?

2

There are 2 best solutions below

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On BEST ANSWER

To enlarge upon Nicky Hekster's and tharris's clues: $w^2+w+1 = 0$, so $w^2+1 = -w$. But $\overline{1+w} = 1+\overline{w}$ (this is true for any complex number $w$). By the hypothesis, that equals $1+w^2 = -w$.

Note that (a) is more easily solved by observing that

$$ w^3-1 = (w-1)(w^2+w+1) $$

Since $w$ is a cube root of $1$, the LHS is $0$. Since $w \not= 1$ (I assume that's what you mean by a "complex cube root of $1$"), the first factor is not zero. Thus the second factor must be zero: $w^2+w+1 = 0$.

Finally, (b) can be solved by first seeing that $0 = w^2+w+1 = w^2+w(w^3)+1 = w^4+w^2+1$, so

$$ -1 = \frac{1}{-1} = \frac{1}{w^4+w^2} $$

0
On

For part (a), note that you have only proved it works for a specific one of the two non-real cube roots of unity. You have to show that it works for both of them. To do so, it is simplest to note that $(w-1)(w^2+w+1)=w^3-1=0,$ and $w\ne 1,$ so we're done.

For (b), since $w^3=1,$ then $$\frac1{w^4+w^2}=\frac1{w+w^2},$$ so what can we conclude from (a)?

For part (c), since $w^2+w+1=0,$ then $1+w^2=-w.$ Thus, $$\overline{1+w}=1+\overline{w}=1+w^2 =-w.$$