Imaginary number (nonfiction)

In mathematics, an imaginary number is a complex number that can be written as a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit i,which is defined by its property i2 = −1.

The square of an imaginary number bi is −b2. For example, 5i is an imaginary number, and its square is −25. Zero is considered to be both real and imaginary.

Originally coined in the 17th century as a derogatory term and regarded as fictitious or useless, the concept gained wide acceptance following the work of Leonhard Euler and Carl Friedrich Gauss.

Fiction cross-reference

• Crimes against mathematical constants
• Gnomon algorithm
• Gnomon Chronicles
• Mathematics

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Mathematics (nonfiction)
• Imaginary unit (nonfiction) - a solution to the quadratic equation x2 + 1 = 0. Although there is no real number with this property, i can be used to extend the real numbers to what are called complex numbers, using addition and multiplication. A simple example of the use of i in a complex number is 2 + 3i.

External links:

• Imaginary number @ Wikipedia
• Imaginary Numbers Are Real @ YouTube