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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.
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My archaeological excavation today takes us all the way back to January of 2008, meaning the entry would be eligible to get a driver's license in most states: "Science"
It's fairly short, and, as you can tell from the title, presages the themes of some of my numerous subsequent entries.
Well, my creationism rant inspired some comments, but not nearly the shitstorm I feared.
This refers to the previous day's entry, which included a bunch of links, which presaged the content of most of my numerous subsequent blog entries.
The rant in question was quite short, and I railed on a then-recent poll that said 47% of Americans reject the science of evolution. The implication is that most, if not all, of them do so on religious grounds.
I did want to make clear, though, that my rant about creation "science" is not about Christians in general - in other words, I'm not attacking faith, but opinion.
I try (and sometimes fail) to keep religion out of my discussions here.
I responded to someone in a private email a clarification that I'll paste here...
That message takes up the bulk of the entry, and then...
That's the last word on it from me - at least for now.
I'm glad I hedged that with "at least for now." Because it absolutely wasn't the last word, and even the last word I wrote on the topic won't be.
But let's see what Wired Magazine has to say:
While the raw link in the original entry is broken, I found it using a web search. Apparently they just changed the URL and kept the content, though there's a broken YouTube embed there.
While the article itself touches on a Presidential race that's ancient history at this point, the philosophical issues remain, and I continue to address them, even now, sixteen years later. |
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