Abstract
This chapter introduces the essential mathematics of diffraction. Initially the concept of a vector is presented along with the mathematical operations which we can perform on vector quantities including addition, subtraction, and multiplication by a scalar. The important methods for multiplying two or more vector quantities (scalar or dot product and the vector or cross product) are then covered. Next the chapter describes the concept of complex numbers and their graphical representation in the form of an Argand diagram. Mathematical operations such as addition and multiplication of complex numbers are then covered, followed by the concepts of the complex conjugate and the complex exponential — both of utmost importance in understanding the mathematics of diffraction. The chapter then introduces briefly some of the mathematics of determinants.
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