Let be a positive integer, , and put . Define points in the -plane, for . Let be the map that rotates the plane counterclockwise by the angle about the point . Let denote the map obtained by applying, in order, , then , then . For an arbitrary point , find, and simplify, the coordinates of .
Solution
Identify the -plane with the complex plane , so that is the real number . If is sent to by a counterclockwise rotation by about , then ; hence the rotation sends to , where . It follows that followed by sends to , and so forth; an easy induction shows that sends to Expanding the product yields . Thus sends to ; in cartesian coordinates, .
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