Exercise · ZW-COMPLEX-NTH-ROOT-001 · ★☆☆ Basic

How many distinct cube roots does \(8\) have in \(\mathbb{C}\)?

Choose one option.

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  • B. \(3\)

Explanation

A nonzero complex number has exactly \(n\) distinct \(n\)-th roots; for \(n=3\) there are 3: \(2,\ 2e^{2\pi i/3},\ 2e^{4\pi i/3}\).

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Review the concept: Complex nth root

An \(n\)-th root of a complex number \(w\) is a complex number \(z\) whose \(n\)-th power, with \(n\) a positive integer, is \(w\). If \(w\) has modulus \(r\) and argument \(\theta\), its roots are given below.

\[z_k=\sqrt[n]{r}\left(\cos\frac{\theta+2\pi k}{n}+i\sin\frac{\theta+2\pi k}{n}\right),\quad k=0,\dots,n-1\]

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