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Spiral Similarity
– Complex Number
1
by Ashani Dasgupta

What is spiral similarity?

Spiral similarity, for our purpose, will be a beautiful motion in the

plane. It is a combination of rotation and dilation (expansion or
contraction by a constant factor.
Suppose AB is a (finite) segment in the plane. CD be another
segment. Assume AB and CD to be disjoint.

It is possible to send AB onto CD using a combination of rotation

and dilation.

To accomplish this, we need to find:

Center of rotation

Angle of rotation

Ratio of dilation

How to find center of rotation

(and dilation)
Join AC and BD. Suppose they intersect at X. Draw the circles
CXD and AXB. Let them intersect at O.

O could be same as X or could be a different point.

Claim: O is the center of rotation and dilation, that sends AB to CD.

Join OA, OX, OB, OC, OD.

Pause and think: Can you find some cyclic quadrilaterals in this
picture.
Clearly ABXO is cyclic. This implies ∠OBX = ∠OAX . This is because
they are subtended on the circumference by the same segment
OX. (Angles subtended by a chord at the circumference are equal,
by property of cyclic quadrilaterals).

Similarly CDXO is cyclic implying ∠ODX = ∠OCX

Pause and think: Can you find a pair of similar triangles?

Hint: Equiangular triangles are similar.

ΔOBD ∼ ΔOAC

This is because we have shown pair of corresponding angles to be

equal. Hence the two triangles are equiangular.

Pause and imagine:

This implies ∠AOC = ∠BOD . We may imagine this as following:

OA is turning into OC;

OB is turning into OD

Since the angles (of rotation) ∠AOC, ∠BOD are equal, hence this
works out nicely.

Moreover, OA grows into OC and OB grows into OD by same

OA OB
constant factor. This is true because OC = OD . This follows from
the similarity of triangles.

Hence A goes to C and B goes to D, via rotation and dilation,

 centered at O.

Rotation and dilation is known

spiral similarity.
Complex numbers are algebraic tools to encode this motion in the
plane.

(This is a supplemental note to live lecture session of Complex

Number module of Cheenta I.S.I., C.M.I. Entrance Program and
Math Olympiad Program)

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Complex Number

1 -> Spiral Similarity

2 -> Points are actions

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