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Cis

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Cis notation is a polar notation for complex numbers. For all complex numbers z, we can write z=r\mathrm{cis }(\theta)=r\cos \theta + ir\sin \theta. Notice that \mathrm{cis} is made up by the first letter of \cos, i, and the first letter of \sin.

Once one gets used to the notation, it is almost always preferred to write re^{i\theta} rather than r\mathrm{cis }(\theta), as Euler's formula states that

e^{i\theta} = \cos \theta + i \sin \theta.

This is so that one can more naturally use the properties of the complex exponential. One important example is De Moivre's theorem, which states that

\mathrm{cis}(r\theta) = (\mathrm{cis}(\theta))^r.

This is more easily understood in the complex exponential form:

e^{i(r\theta)} = (e^{i\theta})^r.

See also

Want to learn how to tackle those tough AMC/AIME/Olympiad counting and probability problems? Check out Art of Problem Solving's Intermediate Counting & Probability by David Patrick.
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