"In the heat of composition I find that I have inadvertently allowed myself to assume the form of a large centipede. I am accordingly dictating the rest to my secretary." - C. S. Lewis
For any "real" number x (i.e. -infinity < x < infinity) x^2 is always 0 or greater. That is, there can be no real number for which x^2 < 0.
This got mathematicians thinking: What if there was an x for which x^2 < 0? Thus "imaginary" numbers (as opposed to real numbers) were born.
The imaginary unit (that is, the square root of -1) is written as i.
The name "imaginary" was originally derogatory, because mathematicians couldn't figure out any use for them. This was 4-500 years ago, though, and since then they have been found to have real-world applications, such as in electrical engineering, where voltage calculations for AC require two parameters.
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Take care,
Scott
"In the heat of composition I find that I have inadvertently allowed myself to assume the form of a large centipede. I am accordingly dictating the rest to my secretary." - C. S. Lewis
For any "real" number x (i.e. -infinity < x < infinity) x^2 is always 0 or greater. That is, there can be no real number for which x^2 < 0.
This got mathematicians thinking: What if there was an x for which x^2 < 0? Thus "imaginary" numbers (as opposed to real numbers) were born.
The imaginary unit (that is, the square root of -1) is written as i.
The name "imaginary" was originally derogatory, because mathematicians couldn't figure out any use for them. This was 4-500 years ago, though, and since then they have been found to have real-world applications, such as in electrical engineering, where voltage calculations for AC require two parameters.
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Why is "i" always negative?
Linear Mode
