"Oh [blast], not another elf!" - Inkling Hugo Dyson, upon hearing another reading by J. R. R. Tolkien from The Lord of the Rings
"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.
__________________
Take care,
Scott
"Oh [blast], not another elf!" - Inkling Hugo Dyson, upon hearing another reading by J. R. R. Tolkien from The Lord of the Rings
"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.
The views and opinions expressed on this web site are not necessarily those of the Fighting Fundamental Forums management. This is an open and unmoderated forum. The content of each post is the sole responsibility of the poster. Participants are expected to follow the simple rules of the forum. Within these wide parameters various views are welcome to be expressed freely.
The college names used on the FundamentalForums.com web site are trademarks of their respective schools. The forums are not officially sanctioned by any of the institutions represented.
Why is "i" always negative?
Linear Mode
