Eli5 Why do we need complex numbers in real life?
In: 11
Most of us don’t need them directly. Engineers and scientists and math folks do, because they explain real phenomena and are used to solve real problems. They are real mathematical ideas even if we call the actual numbers involved “imaginary” because in their “raw” form they don’t actually equate to anything on a conventional number line, or anything in the “real world.” Once we use them in mathematic operations thought they do explain physical events.
The only good use for them for most of us are like financial jokes and the like.
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