jen's everyday blog

Do Imaginary Numbers Really Exist?

I’m still working on the imaginary numbers idea. I don’t agree with the line that many mathematicians and philosophers take that numbers actually exist in the world. I think they are a useful conceptual system that we have created to enhance our understanding of the world. With that said, I think that the pages on this site, in particular the Imaginary Numbers- How to show they exist link, finally do a good job of explaining how there can be a number such that i*i = -1. It’s all about how you define multiplication!

posted at 11:12 on Thu, 24 Mar, 2005 | path: /living



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