AoPS Wiki:Article of the Day

Revision as of 18:22, 25 November 2007 by Temperal (talk | contribs) (new aotd)
Temperal

Today's featured article is complex number:

The complex numbers arise when we try to solve equations such as $x^2 = -1$.

We know (from the trivial inequality) that the square of a real number cannot be negative, so this equation has no solutions in the real numbers. However, it is possible to define a number, $i$, such that $i = \sqrt{-1}$. If we add this new number to the reals, we will have solutions to $x^2 = -1$. It turns out that in the system that results... [[[complex number|more]]

Past AotD's found here.