Search results
Solve certain bedeviling equations
- An imaginary number — basically, a number that, when squared, results in a negative number — was first established back in the 1400s and 1500s as a way to solve certain bedeviling equations.
science.howstuffworks.com/math-concepts/imaginary-numbers.htm
People also ask
What are imaginary numbers?
Is a real number a imaginary number?
Why are imaginary numbers important?
Who made the distinction between imaginary numbers a*I and complex numbers?
Imaginary numbers are not just a mathematical curiosity. They have real applications in physics, engineering and cryptography. Learn how they were invented, what they mean and how they work with BBC Science Focus Magazine.
- Can Maths Defeat Terrorism
Discover how mathematical models can be used to predict and...
- Can Maths Defeat Terrorism
An imaginary number is the product of a real number and the imaginary unit i, [note 1] which is defined by its property i 2 = −1. [1] [2] The square of an imaginary number bi is −b 2. For example, 5i is an imaginary number, and its square is −25. The number zero is considered to be both real and imaginary. [3]
Nov 21, 2023 · An imaginary number is a value that's the square root of a negative number. It can't exist on a one-dimensional number line. We'll explain.
Jan 24, 2024 · Initially conceived to solve algebraic puzzles, imaginary numbers transcended their abstract origins to become indispensable in our understanding of the quantum world.
Aug 15, 2019 · “Imaginary” numbers are just another class of number, exactly like the two “new” classes of numbers we’ve seen so far. Let’s see why and how imaginary numbers came about.
Jul 1, 2022 · It was Gauss who made the distinction between imaginary numbers a*i and complex numbers a + b*i (a and b real). Up until his work, both complex and imaginary numbers had been termed imaginary.
Descartes coined the term imaginary: “For any equation one can imagine as many roots [as its degree would suggest], but in many cases no quantity exists which corresponds to what one imagines.” 9. John Wallis (1616-1703) notes in his Algebra that negative numbers, so long viewed with