Unit 6
Complex Numbers
Unit Narrative
In this unit, students use what they know about exponents and radicals to extend exponent rules to include rational exponents, use square roots to develop an understanding of complex numbers, and solve quadratic equations that include complex roots.
The unit opens with an optional review of exponent rules before using those rules to justify why when and are integers and is positive. The new rule leads to an exploration of square and cube roots as solutions to equations of the form or . In particular, students learn that positive numbers...