# Math Help - Help Step me through? Little lost

1. ## Help Step me through? Little lost

express the result in the form a + bi.

$(1+\sqrt-3)(2-\sqrt-3)$

2. expand as you would usually (using distributive law)

this gives

2 - root minus 3 + 2(root minus 3) - (-3)

simplifies to
5 + i(root 3)

3. ..

4. Actually, finch21 had it right:

$2 - i\sqrt{3}+2i\sqrt{-3}-(i\sqrt{3})^2$
$= 2 + i\sqrt{3} - (-3)$
$= 2 + i\sqrt{3} + 3$
$= 5 + i\sqrt{3}$

5. I didn't mean to suggest finch was incorrect - that post wasn't there when I started typing... and I just got lost somewhere...
It's late.
I'm going to bed...

Oh incidentally - in this forum, would it not make sense to have a message that pops up in the event that someone else has posted to the topic before you enter your post?
Especially in a forum such as this...