Given $|x|= 1$, show that the equation of a tangent to the unit circle at point $x$ is given by $y + x^2 \overline{y} = 2x$
Not sure how to start. I know that $y + \overline{y} = 2x$ must be true, but I am not sure what to do after that.
Given $|x|= 1$, show that the equation of a tangent to the unit circle at point $x$ is given by $y + x^2 \overline{y} = 2x$
Not sure how to start. I know that $y + \overline{y} = 2x$ must be true, but I am not sure what to do after that.
Prerequisite: We know that the equation of tangent through a point $c$ lying on a circle $|z|=r$ is given by $$z\bar c +\bar z c =2r^2\tag {1}$$
From the given equation, dividing by $x $ gives us (as $x \neq 0$) gives us: $$\frac {1}{x}y + x\bar y =2$$ $$\Rightarrow \frac {\bar x}{x\bar x}y + x\bar y =2$$ $$\Rightarrow \bar x y + x \bar y =2\tag {2}$$
Can you now relate $(1)$ and $(2)$? Hope it helps.
Lemma. Given $4$ points $a \ne b, c\ne d$ in the complex plane, segments $ab$ and $cd$ are perpendicular iff $\operatorname{Re}\left((a-b)(\bar c- \bar d)\right) = 0\,$.
Let $z = (a-b)(\bar c- \bar d)$ then $\arg(z) = arg(a-b) + \arg(\bar c - \bar d) = \arg(a-b) - \arg(c-d)\,$. It follows that $\operatorname{Re}(z) = 0 \iff \arg(a-b) - \arg(c-d) = \pm \pi/2\;$ i.e. $\;ab \perp cd\,$.
Proof. Given that $|x|^2=x \bar x =1$ it follows that $\bar x = 1/x$. Then dividing the given relation by $x \ne 0$ results in $x \bar y + \bar x y = 2$.
Now, the segments between $(0,x)$ and $(y,y-x)$ are perpendicular by the previous Lemma since:
$$ \require{cancel} 2 \operatorname{Re}((x-0)(\bar y-\bar x))= x(\bar y-\bar x)+\bar x(y - x) = x \bar y - |x|^2+\bar x y -|x|^2 = 2 - 1 - 1 =0 $$
Since $(0,x)$ is a radius of the unit circle, it follows that $y$ lies on the tangent to the circle at $x$.