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MathsMediumClass 11

Cube Roots of Unity — ω, ω² properties

Complex Numbers

8

JEE Qs

8%

Hard

75

min

Master the properties 1+ω+ω²=0 and ω^3=1, as most problems reduce to clever application of these two fundamental identities.

🧮 Key Formulas

x^3 - 1 = 0
Roots are 1, ω, ω^2
ω = (-1 + i√3)/2 = e^(i2π/3)
ω^2 = (-1 - i√3)/2 = e^(i4π/3)
1 + ω + ω^2 = 0
ω^3 = 1
ω^(3k) = 1
ω^(3k+1) = ω
ω^(3k+2) = ω^2
a^3 + b^3 + c^3 - 3abc = (a+b+c)(a+bω+cω^2)(a+bω^2+cω)
If a,b,c are real numbers and a + bω + cω^2 = 0, then a = b = c

✅ Key Points for JEE

  • 1Always simplify powers of ω by dividing the exponent by 3 and using the remainder (e.g., ω^n = ω^(n mod 3)) based on ω^3 = 1.
  • 2The identity 1 + ω + ω^2 = 0 is fundamental for simplifying expressions involving sums of cube roots of unity.
  • 3Recognize that the cube roots of unity (1, ω, ω²) represent the vertices of an equilateral triangle inscribed in the unit circle in the Argand plane.
  • 4Familiarize yourself with the factorization identity a^3+b^3+c^3-3abc = (a+b+c)(a+bω+cω²)(a+bω²+cω) as it is frequently tested.
  • 5Expressions like (1+ω)^n can be simplified as (-ω²)^n and (1+ω²)^n as (-ω)^n, making calculations much faster.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

  • Confusing the exact values of ω and ω² (e.g., misplacing the positive or negative sign for i√3).
  • Errors in simplifying ω^n by not correctly applying the modulo 3 rule for the exponent.
  • Forgetting to use 1 + ω + ω² = 0 when simplifying sums, or misapplying it to terms not involving ω or ω².
  • Applying the property 'a + bω + cω² = 0 implies a = b = c' without ensuring a, b, c are real numbers.

📝 Practice Questions

See all

Q17.Let 2¯z+i ¯z−i = 13 , z ∈C , be the equation of a circle with center at C . If the area of the triangle, whose vertices are at the points (0, 0), C and (α, 0) is 11 square units, then α2 equals: (1) 50 (2) 100 (3) 81 (4) 121 25 25

2025·MCQMedium

Q25.Let α, β be the roots of the equation x2 −ax −b = 0 with Im(α) < Im(β). Let Pn = αn −βn . If P3 = −5√7i, P4 = −3√7i, P5 = 11√7i and P6 = 45√7i , then α4 + β4 is equal to . ∣∣ 2025 (23 Jan Shift 2) JEE Main Previous Year Paper

2025·NumericalHard

Q20.Let z1, z2 and z3 be three complex numbers on the circle |z| = 1 with arg (z1) = −π4 , arg (z2) = 0 and arg (z3) = π4 . If |z1¯z2 + z2¯z3 + z3¯z1|2 = α + β√2, α, β ∈Z, then the value of α2 + β2 is : (1) 24 (2) 29 (3) 41 (4) 31

2025·MCQHard

Q19.Let the curve z(1 + i) + ¯z(1 −i) = 4, z ∈C, divide the region |z −3| ≤1 into two parts of areas α and β . Then |α −β| equals : (1) 1 + π2 (2) 1 + π3 (3) 1 + π6 (4) 1 + π4

2025·MCQHard

Q14.The number of complex numbers z , satisfying |z| = 1 and z¯z + ¯zz = 1, is : (1) 4 (2) 8 (3) 10 (4) 6 Q15. ⎡ 0 ⎤ ⎡ 0 ⎤ ⎡4⎤ ⎡0⎤ ⎡2 ⎤ ⎡1 ⎤ Let A = [aij] be 3 × 3 matrix such that A 1 = 0 , A 1 = 1 and A 1 = 0 , then a23 equals : ⎣ 0 ⎦ ⎣ 1 ⎦ ⎣3⎦ ⎣0⎦ ⎣2 ⎦ ⎣0 ⎦ (1) -1 (2) 2 (3) 1 (4) 0 2 x sin 2 dx equals : 3 3

2025·MCQMedium

Q10.For a statistical data x1, x2, … , x10 of 10 values, a student obtained the mean as 5.5 and ∑10i=1 x2i = 371. He later found that he had noted two values in the data incorrectly as 4 and 5 , instead of the correct values 6 and 8 , respectively. The variance of the corrected data is (1) 9 (2) 5 (3) 7 (4) 4

2025·MCQHard

NCERT Chapters

  • Class 11 Maths Ch 5: Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations