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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.
September 14, 2018 at 12:36am September 14, 2018 at 12:36am
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Ever since I first heard of NaNoWriMo, I've been conflicted.
I don't generally jump on bandwagons. If something becomes popular, I view it with a certain amount of distrust. Yeah, I joined Facebook pretty early on, but I'm not active there anymore. And the first time I heard about Twitter, someone told me that some guy had rigged his office chair to tweet every time he farted. I swore then I would never be a Twat (or whatever they call people who go to Twitter), and nothing I've heard about Twitter since then has convinced me it's gotten any classier.
And no, this isn't some hipster thing for me. I won't join that group, either.
So I resisted NaNo for a while, but then "October Novel Prep Challenge" [13+] came along, and I changed my mind.
Yeah, I promote the Prep a lot. No, I don't get paid to do it. Quite the opposite, in fact. So don't be thinking this is some sort of ad. Still, if one wishes to get one's thoughts together before tackling a novella in November (seriously, most published novels are longer than 50K words), it really does help. Point is, that activity gave me the motivation I needed to complete three works of fiction - and make a few attempts that went nowhere, but that's on me.
Anyway, I'm trying to decide whether to attempt it this year. Of the three I've completed, two of them are crying out for sequels (or, really, continuations to make them 100,000 word novels), and I've got a couple of ideas for new ones, though none are very compelling to me.
Of the three I've done, one's straight science fiction; one's contemporary fantasy; and the latest is, well, not a serious attempt at getting anything publishable done - it's science fiction erotica. Naturally, that's the one I most want to continue with, and it's the one least likely to get read.
On the other hand, all three of those are in serious need of editing and expanding - while my first drafts tend to be more coherent than most, they're light-years away from perfect. So why start something new when I can't finish what I've already got going?
So, I don't know. If I don't Prep, I won't NaNo, so I need to decide by the time Prep signups close on 10/3. |
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