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NCERT Exemplar · Q8

Q.If the real part of zˉ+2zˉ−1\dfrac{\bar{z}+2}{\bar{z}-1} is 4, then show that the locus of the point representing zz in the complex plane is a circle.

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By substituting z=x+iyz = x + iy into the given complex expression and equating its real part to 4, we derive a Cartesian equation that simplifies to the standard form of a circle. The locus of zz is a circle with center (32,0)\left(\frac{3}{2}, 0\right) and radius 12\frac{1}{2}.

The problem asks us to determine the geometric path (locus) traced by a point zz in the complex plane, given a specific condition on an expression involving zz. The most direct way to approach such problems is to express the complex number zz in its Cartesian form, z=x+iyz = x + iy, and then translate the given complex condition into an equation involving xx and yy. If this resulting equation matches the standard form of a circle, (x−h)2+(y−k)2=r2(x-h)^2 + (y-k)^2 = r^2, then we have successfully shown that the locus is a circle.

Let's proceed step-by-step:

  1. Represent zz in Cartesian form.

    Let z=x+iyz = x + iy, where xx and yy are real numbers representing the coordinates of the point in the complex plane.

    The conjugate of zz, denoted zˉ\bar{z}, is then x−iyx - iy.

  2. Substitute into the given expression.

    The given expression is zˉ+2zˉ−1\dfrac{\bar{z}+2}{\bar{z}-1}.

    Substitute zˉ=x−iy\bar{z} = x - iy into the expression:

(x−iy)+2(x−iy)−1=(x+2)−iy(x−1)−iy\frac{(x - iy) + 2}{(x - iy) - 1} = \frac{(x+2) - iy}{(x-1) - iy}

  1. Simplify the complex fraction. To find the real part of this complex fraction, we need to eliminate the complex term from the denominator. We do this by multiplying both the numerator and the denominator by the conjugate of the denominator. The denominator is (x−1)−iy(x-1) - iy, so its conjugate is (x−1)+iy(x-1) + iy.

(x+2)−iy(x−1)−iy×(x−1)+iy(x−1)+iy\frac{(x+2) - iy}{(x-1) - iy} \times \frac{(x-1) + iy}{(x-1) + iy}

Now, we expand the numerator and the denominator:
*   **Numerator:**
    $((x+2) - iy)((x-1) + iy)$
    $= (x+2)(x-1) + (x+2)(iy) - iy(x-1) - (iy)(iy)$
    $= (x^2 + x - 2) + i(xy + 2y) - i(xy - y) - i^2y^2$
    $= (x^2 + x - 2) + i(xy + 2y - xy + y) + y^2 \quad (\text{since } i^2 = -1)$
    $= (x^2 + x - 2 + y^2) + i(3y)$

*   **Denominator:**
    $((x-1) - iy)((x-1) + iy)$
    This is in the form $(A-B)(A+B) = A^2 - B^2$. Here, $A = (x-1)$ and $B = iy$.
    So, $(x-1)^2 - (iy)^2 = (x-1)^2 - i^2y^2 = (x-1)^2 - (-1)y^2 = (x-1)^2 + y^2$.

Combining these, the simplified expression is:

(x2+x−2+y2)+i(3y)(x−1)2+y2\frac{(x^2 + x - 2 + y^2) + i(3y)}{(x-1)^2 + y^2}

  1. Identify the real part. We can separate the real and imaginary parts of the simplified expression:

Re(zˉ+2zˉ−1)=x2+x−2+y2(x−1)2+y2\text{Re}\left(\frac{\bar{z}+2}{\bar{z}-1}\right) = \frac{x^2 + x - 2 + y^2}{(x-1)^2 + y^2}

  1. Set the real part equal to 4. The problem states that the real part of the expression is 4:

x2+x−2+y2(x−1)2+y2=4\frac{x^2 + x - 2 + y^2}{(x-1)^2 + y^2} = 4

> [!WARNING]
> The denominator $(x-1)^2 + y^2$ cannot be zero. If it were, it would imply $x-1=0$ and $y=0$, meaning $x=1, y=0$. This corresponds to $z=1$. If $z=1$, the original expression $\frac{\bar{z}+2}{\bar{z}-1}$ becomes $\frac{1+2}{1-1} = \frac{3}{0}$, which is undefined. Therefore, the point $z=1$ (or $(1,0)$ in Cartesian coordinates) is excluded from the locus.

6. Simplify the equation to the standard form of a circle.

Multiply both sides by the denominator: …

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