English

Integer continued fractions for complex numbers

Number Theory 2025-08-22 v1

Abstract

We study a natural extension to complex numbers of the standard continued fractions. The basic algorithm is due to Lagrange and Gauss, though it seems to have gone mostly unnoticed as a way to create continued fractions. The new representations are shown to be unique, and to have useful properties. They also admit a geometric cutting sequence interpretation.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2508.15078,
  title  = {Integer continued fractions for complex numbers},
  author = {Cormac O'Sullivan},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2508.15078},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

21 pages and 10 figures