Introduction to Imaginary Numbers

A quadratic equation can have two, one or zero REAL solutions, or x – intercepts.  But, as you’ll learn soon, a quadratic equation will always have exactly two solutions (when set equal to zero).  Those solutions will be any combination of Real and Imaginary numbers.

Up until now, at least with this curriculum, we have not explored the imaginary numbers.  We have acknowledged they exist, but have not learn about how they work, where they come from, and how arithmetic with them works.  On this page we will do exactly that!

Read through the notes below.  Watch the two videos (the content is broken into two parts:  What Imaginary Numbers Are, and How to Do Arithmetic with Imaginary Numbers).  Then, try the practice problems.  

If you’re a teacher and would like access to the content posted here, including the PowerPoint used to make the attached video, and the answer key, please click the teacher button below, or go to the Teacher’s tab at the top of the page.

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