Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions Chapter 4 Ex 4.1 – Algebra of Complex Numbers | Boundless Maths
Ex 4.1 Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions · Chapter 4

Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions Chapter 4 Ex 4.1 – Algebra of Complex Numbers

Free, step-by-step Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions for Chapter 4 Ex 4.1 — all 14 questions solved, expressing complex number expressions in a + ib form and finding the multiplicative inverse.

14Questions
Easy–HardDifficulty Mix
2026-27CBSE Syllabus

Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions Chapter 4 Ex 4.1 — All 14 Questions

1

Express in the form a + ib: (5i)\left(-\dfrac{3}{5}i\right)

Easy +
Solution

(5i)\left(-\dfrac{3}{5}i\right)=5\times\left(-\dfrac{3}{5}\right)\times i^2=-3\times(-1)=3

= 3 + i0
2

Express in the form a + ib: i^9+i^{19}

Easy +
Solution

i^9=i^{4(2)+1}=i

i^{19}=i^{4(4)+3}=i^3=-i

i^9+i^{19}=i+(-i)=0

= 0 + i0
3

Express in the form a + ib: i^{-39}

Easy +
Solution

−39 = 4(−10) + 1, so i^{-39}=i^{4(-10)+1}=i

= 0 + i(1)
4

Express in the form a + ib: 3(7+i7)+i(7+i7)

Easy +
Solution

3(7+i7)+i(7+i7)=21+21i+7i+7i^2

=21+21i+7i-7=(21-7)+(21+7)i

= 14 + i28
5

Express in the form a + ib: (1-i)-(-1+i6)

Easy +
Solution

(1-i)-(-1+i6)=1-i+1-6i=2-7i

= 2 − 7i
6

Express in the form a + ib: \left(\dfrac{1}{5}+i\dfrac{2}{5}\right)-\left(4+i\dfrac{5}{2}\right)

Medium +
Solution

Real part: \dfrac{1}{5}-4=\dfrac{1}{5}-\dfrac{20}{5}=-\dfrac{19}{5}

Imaginary part: \dfrac{2}{5}-\dfrac{5}{2}=\dfrac{4}{10}-\dfrac{25}{10}=-\dfrac{21}{10}

= −19/5 − i(21/10)
7

Express in the form a + ib: \left[\left(\dfrac{1}{3}+i\dfrac{7}{3}\right)+\left(4+i\dfrac{1}{3}\right)\right]-\left(-\dfrac{4}{3}+i\right)

Medium +
Solution

First add the inner bracket:

\left(\dfrac{1}{3}+4\right)+i\left(\dfrac{7}{3}+\dfrac{1}{3}\right)=\dfrac{13}{3}+i\dfrac{8}{3}

Now subtract (−4/3 + i):

\left(\dfrac{13}{3}+\dfrac{4}{3}\right)+i\left(\dfrac{8}{3}-1\right)=\dfrac{17}{3}+i\dfrac{5}{3}

= 17/3 + i(5/3)
8

Express in the form a + ib: (1-i)^4

Medium +
Solution

(1-i)^2=1-2i+i^2=1-2i-1=-2i

(1-i)^4=(-2i)^2=4i^2=-4

= −4 + i0
9

Express in the form a + ib: \left(\dfrac{1}{3}+3i\right)^3

Hard +
Solution

Using (a+b)^3=a^3+3a^2b+3ab^2+b^3 with a = 1/3, b = 3i:

a^3=\dfrac{1}{27}

3a^2b=3\times\dfrac{1}{9}\times3i=i

3ab^2=3\times\dfrac{1}{3}\times9i^2=1\times(-9)=-9

b^3=27i^3=27(-i)=-27i

Adding: real part = \dfrac{1}{27}-9=\dfrac{1-243}{27}=-\dfrac{242}{27}; imaginary part = 1-27=-26

= −242/27 − 26i
10

Express in the form a + ib: \left(-2-\dfrac{1}{3}i\right)^3

Hard +
Solution

Let z = −2 − i/3. First square z:

z^2=(-2)^2+2(-2)\left(-\dfrac{i}{3}\right)+\left(-\dfrac{i}{3}\right)^2=4+\dfrac{4i}{3}-\dfrac{1}{9}=\dfrac{35}{9}+\dfrac{4i}{3}

Now multiply by z again:

z^3=\left(\dfrac{35}{9}+\dfrac{4i}{3}\right)\left(-2-\dfrac{i}{3}\right)

=-\dfrac{70}{9}-\dfrac{35i}{27}-\dfrac{8i}{3}-\dfrac{4i^2}{9}

=-\dfrac{70}{9}+\dfrac{4}{9}+i\left(-\dfrac{35}{27}-\dfrac{72}{27}\right)=-\dfrac{66}{9}-\dfrac{107}{27}i

= −22/3 − (107/27)i
11

Find the multiplicative inverse of 4-3i.

Easy +
Solution

z = 4 − 3i, so z̄ = 4 + 3i and |z|² = 4² + (−3)² = 16 + 9 = 25

z^{-1}=\dfrac{\bar z}{|z|^2}=\dfrac{4+3i}{25}

z⁻¹ = 4/25 + i(3/25)
12

Find the multiplicative inverse of \sqrt5+3i.

Easy +
Solution

z = √5 + 3i, so z̄ = √5 − 3i and |z|² = (√5)² + 3² = 5 + 9 = 14

z^{-1}=\dfrac{\bar z}{|z|^2}=\dfrac{\sqrt5-3i}{14}

z⁻¹ = √5/14 − i(3/14)
13

Find the multiplicative inverse of -i.

Easy +
Solution

z = −i = 0 − i(1), so z̄ = i and |z|² = 0² + (−1)² = 1

z^{-1}=\dfrac{\bar z}{|z|^2}=\dfrac{i}{1}=i

Check: (−i)(i) = −i² = 1 ✓

z⁻¹ = 0 + i(1)
14

Express the following expression in the form a + ib: \dfrac{(3+i\sqrt5)(3-i\sqrt5)}{(\sqrt3+\sqrt2i)-(\sqrt3-\sqrt2i)}

Hard +
Solution
Simplify the numerator

(3+i\sqrt5)(3-i\sqrt5)=3^2-(i\sqrt5)^2=9-(-5)=14

Simplify the denominator

(\sqrt3+\sqrt2i)-(\sqrt3-\sqrt2i)=2\sqrt2i

Divide and rationalize

\dfrac{14}{2\sqrt2i}=\dfrac{7}{\sqrt2i}

Using 1/i = −i:

\dfrac{7}{\sqrt2}\times\dfrac{1}{i}=\dfrac{7}{\sqrt2}\times(-i)=-\dfrac{7i}{\sqrt2}

Rationalizing the denominator:

-\dfrac{7i}{\sqrt2}\times\dfrac{\sqrt2}{\sqrt2}=-\dfrac{7\sqrt2}{2}i

= 0 − (7√2/2)i
Common Questions

Class 11 Maths NCERT Solutions Chapter 4 Ex 4.1 — FAQs

How many questions are there in Exercise 4.1?
Exercise 4.1 has 14 questions — the first ten ask you to express various complex number expressions in the form a + ib, and the last four involve finding a multiplicative inverse or simplifying a ratio of complex numbers.
How do you find the multiplicative inverse of a complex number?
For a non-zero complex number z = a + ib, the multiplicative inverse is z⁻¹ = z̄/|z|², where z̄ is the conjugate a − ib and |z|² is a² + b². This is the same technique as dividing by z: multiply numerator and denominator by the conjugate to remove i from the denominator.
How do you simplify powers of i like i⁹ or i⁻³⁹?
Powers of i repeat in a cycle of 4: i, −1, −i, 1. To simplify iⁿ, divide n by 4 and use the remainder to pick the matching value from that cycle. For negative exponents, first find the cycle value for the positive exponent, then take its reciprocal.
Where can I find the official NCERT textbook for this chapter?
Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations is Chapter 4 of the NCERT Class 11 Mathematics textbook, published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and prescribed by CBSE. You can download the official textbook PDF directly from ncert.nic.in, NCERT's official website — the solutions on this page follow the exercise exactly as it appears there.

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