[ExI] imaginary numbers: RE: new entry from symphony of science

BillK pharos at gmail.com
Sat Nov 27 10:29:49 UTC 2010


2010/11/27 spike wrote:
> Here’s a mathematical comment that will blow your mind if you think about it
> hard enough, and one which also has real world applications:
>
> e^(i*pi) = -1
>
> I would put a ! after that comment but for the fact that ! has its own
> meaning in mathematics, which makes it difficult to express one’s enthusiasm
> at a really exciting equation without messing up the equation.  But this is
> a very exciting equation!  It is a result of the fact that
>
> e^(i*theta) = cosine(theta) + i*sin(theta)
>
> Is this cool or what?
>


Mathematica says the formula is true, so it must be!

But be careful ------
<http://xkcd.com/217/>


BillK




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