origin to the point (See Figure 1). Thus, a complex number can be given a simple, geometric interpretation as points (or vectors) in the plane. This plane is called the complex plane or -plane. It is also known as the Gauss plane or the Argand Plane. The term Argand diagram is sometimes used.

Figure 1

 

History: The representation of complex numbers in the plane was proposed independently by Casper Wessel (1797), K. F. Gauss (1799) and Jean Robert Argand (1806).