What complex numbers are and what they are used for.
In: 27
So, complex numbers are made up of 2 parts, a real part and an imaginary part. The real part are the numbers we know and love.
So imaginary numbers are used to find solutions to problems where the real number system doesn’t provide an answer.
So, take squares. One squared is one. So what number squared will give you -1?
Well it won’t be a real number, but let’s just call it ‘i’.
Now we don’t know what ‘i’, because it’s not part of the ‘universe’ or real numbers. However, it’s an incredibly useful concept that allows us to solve all kinds of equations. Now that doesn’t mean it’s just an academic thing. It turns out that it’s very useful in physics, especially electro-magnitism.
Latest Answers