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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.
November 23, 2024 at 9:09am November 23, 2024 at 9:09am
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Here's something sure to brighten everyone's day, if for no other reason than this Time article is shorter than some of the others that have popped up lately.
Well, I'm not sure that's true for everyone. You never know what'll make someone happy, sometimes. Like, I've known people who were only happy after they made everyone around them miserable. So it's not a stretch to believe that obsessing over... whatever... might be pleasing to someone. Given all the obsessing people tend to do, I'd almost guarantee it.
Happiness is a worthy pursuit.
Is it, though? Is it really? Or are other things worthy of pursuit, and happiness is a byproduct of that?
But fixating too much on achieving it often leads to bad feelings when you fall short—which ultimately makes you less happy.
Especially if you expect not to fall short.
That’s the finding of a new study published in the journal Emotion.
For once, I actually clicked on the link provided to the study. I didn't read it too closely, but I'd take it with the same level of skepticism as any other psych study, even if it does speak to my biases.
In the study, people who said they were worried about achieving and maintaining happiness tended to have more depressive symptoms, worse well-being, and less life satisfaction than those who simply held happiness as a goal—and didn’t fret about whether they were meeting it.
Which is, honestly, exactly the result I'd expect. Which doesn't mean it's right. Or wrong. But to me it's like a study that investigated whether cumulus clouds look soft and fluffy.
What’s the secret, then? Take the pressure off and stop taking your own happiness temperature so often, Zerwas says.
Okay.
Embrace all of your feelings—both happy and sad ones—since all emotions can be informative, providing us insights into our psychic makeup.
Okay.
And practice cognitive-behavioral strategies such as mindfulness—being present in one’s emotions and aware of what those feelings are—to truly tune in.
Aaaaand you lost me.
I feel like this "pursuit of happiness" thing is mostly an American phenomenon, thanks to the famous words in the Declaration of Independence. There's some discussion over what exactly was meant by "happiness" therein, but I'm pretty sure the connotation of the word has changed in the last 250 years. It probably didn't mean a feeling of unbridled joy, but something closer to security.
And in my experience, living without fear is happiness enough. |
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