About This Author
Come closer.
|
Complex Numbers
Complex Numbers
A complex number is expressed in the standard form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is defined by i^2 = -1 (that is, i is the square root of -1). For example, 3 + 2i is a complex number.
The bi term is often referred to as an imaginary number (though this may be misleading, as it is no more "imaginary" than the symbolic abstractions we know as the "real" numbers). Thus, every complex number has a real part, a, and an imaginary part, bi.
Complex numbers are often represented on a graph known as the "complex plane," where the horizontal axis represents the infinity of real numbers, and the vertical axis represents the infinity of imaginary numbers. Thus, each complex number has a unique representation on the complex plane: some closer to real; others, more imaginary. If a = b, the number is equal parts real and imaginary.
Very simple transformations applied to numbers in the complex plane can lead to fractal structures of enormous intricacy and astonishing beauty.
October 20, 2019 at 12:25am October 20, 2019 at 12:25am
|
http://mentalfloss.com/article/502463/15-obscure-words-everyday-feelings-and-emo...
I've been learning French, but that doesn't mean I can stop learning English. Or anything else for that matter. And when it comes to describing emotions, I can use all the help I can get.
15 Obscure Words for Everyday Feelings And Emotions
Fortunately for me, some of these are actually from French, so... win?
I'll just highlight a few of my favorites, none of which are French.
1. Croochie-Proochles
The superb Scots dialect word croochie-proochles means the feeling of discomfort or fidgetiness that comes from sitting in a cramped position (like, say, on an airplane).
Honestly, the list could have stopped here and I'd be happy. I mean, can you come up with a better word than croochie-proochles? For anything? No? I didn't think so.
11. Lonesome-Fret
That feeling of restlessness or unease that comes from being on your own too long is lonesome-fret, an 18th/19th century dialect word defined as “ennui from lonesomeness” by the English Dialect Dictionary.
Huh... never felt that, myself. Now I want to be on my own long enough to see if I experience it. Bet I won't.
12. Fat-Sorrow
“Sorrow alleviated by riches”—or, put another way, sadness alleviated by material things—is fat-sorrow. It’s a term best remembered from the old adage that “fat sorrow is better than lean sorrow.”
This seems like one of those phrases that would sound better in French, or at least Latin. Douleur-gras, maybe? French does almost everything backwards. Or, maybe English does. Whatever. Anyway, I've been saying for years that I'd rather be rich and unhappy than poor and happy, and this describes that pretty well.
14. Crapulence
When the word hangover just won’t do it justice, there’s crapulence. As the OED defines it, crapulence is a feeling of “sickness or indisposition resulting from excess in drinking or eating.”
And this is the one entry on the list that I was already aware of - for reasons that should be obvious to regular readers. |
© Copyright 2024 Robert Waltz (UN: cathartes02 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved. Robert Waltz has granted InkSpot.Com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.
|