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Wednesday, Sep. 11, 2024

10:21pm EDT

Members: 937

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Complex Numbers

by Robert Waltz

Rated: 18+ · Book · Personal · #1196512

Not for the faint of art.

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.

http://www.ddewey.net/mandelbrot/

Signature for Honorable Mentions in 2018 Quill Awards

A signature for exclusive use of winners at the 2019 Quill Awards

Signature for those who have won a Quill Award at the 2020 Quill Awards

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Aiva Raine

about 7 hours ago
In response to "Drop and Gimme Twenty"

Happy 20th. We're glad you joined and doubly glad you've stayed this long. I look forward to reading your daily blog as part of my own daily ritual.

1 Like

Wordsmitty ✍️

about 9 hours ago
In response to "Drop and Gimme Twenty"

Wow. That sounds mature for twenty. Next year you can get some booze to celebrate.

I'm sure we're all glad you did sign up. Enjoy the day.

1 Like

Annette aka Din Djarin

about 9 hours ago
In response to "Drop and Gimme Twenty"

Happy 20th to you!

My username was octobersun2 for the same reason. My first attempt to join somehow didn't work.

1 Like

🌕 HuntersMoon

about 10 hours ago
In response to "Drop and Gimme Twenty"

Happy Anniversary, you old dog...

1 Like

Kåre Enga in Montana

Sep 9, 2024 at 10:57am
In response to "Time Out"

"As long as everyone agrees to it" is paramount.

The Polynesians navigated by the stars. No clocks needed. A different approach. Still... all relative.

1 Like

Legerdemain

Sep 9, 2024 at 10:47am
In response to "Time Out"

I'm not scientific, at all. But what about Earth's wobble? Who accounts for that?

1 Like

🌕 HuntersMoon

Sep 9, 2024 at 10:20am
In response to "Time Out"

This was so heavy... I think I lost 26 microseconds reading it.

1 Like

Elisa: Middle Aged Stik

Sep 8, 2024 at 12:04pm
In response to "Writing It Off"

I am late to the party with my comments, but here we go.

Used to be, I wanted to get published.

I used to want to be published in terms of stories. Nowadays I'd rather be published in terms of photos. And self publishing may be my only option in that regard.

but the travel writing field is crowded with young influenzas who can't write for shit, but look good in selfies.

And before that it was crowded with middle aged socialites with nothing better to do (but did have some level of writing skill).

Other people here have dealt with the limit by deleting old entries. I won't do that. Most never have to worry about the limit, and that's perfectly okay.

I admit that as of late I don't let my book items hit the entry limit. Part of it is my entries are super long (current average being *checks notes* 7.48 kb in size). Part of it is I also feel like book items should end after at most five years. I think of my old paper diaries and how they felt more meaningful when I didn't let their use drag on forever. If I stayed consistent, they'd end maybe at most after a year and a half. They often wrapped up sooner than that. Even moving to online journaling, I appreciate a journal that is finite not based on the number of entries but by time elapsed since the book started having entries added to it. My current journal may last a tad longer than my previous ones, but I imagine I'll wrap it up in late 2027, maybe early 2028. We'll see how much space I have to work with. In the old days, 1000 entries was considered a major achievement of an end point. I hope I can get that much out of it, as I think that's more reasonable. I do think 3000 entries of my kind of work in one place is a bit much.

1 Like

🌕 HuntersMoon

Sep 8, 2024 at 11:00am
In response to "Revisited: "Orange You Glad This Wasn't You?""

Maybe this would help... or at least attract your attention?

1 Like

Robert Waltz

Sep 7, 2024 at 11:39pm
In response to "Spit in the Ocean"

Both commenters today had already received MBs from me this week, so I went back to every entry this week and picked a comment at random.

The final Birthday Week MB goes to:

🌕 HuntersMoon

Thanks, everyone, for reading and participating!

1 Like

August 3, 2024 at 10:22am

#1074722

What a Pain

Among the destination priorities that I attempted to communicate to the travel agent were a few—just a few, mind you—places that don't involve fine fermented and/or distilled beverages.

Most of them are in Belgium, because my original 2020 travel plans were for that country. The list includes the Hergé museum (you know, the Tintin creator) and, just to balance things out, the Torture Museum

in Bruges.

This probably freaked her out, but hey, that's like 40% of the point. It's not like that sort of thing is unknown in Europe. There was an exhibit of old torture devices in a castle I visited once in Wales. That one took the edge off the horror by incorporating the kind of humor one expects from the Welsh (see also: Doctor Who). You know... dark and dry, like a fine porter ale.

When it comes to knowing how to inflict pain on other humans, humans excel at that shit. Oddly enough, it goes hand-in-clamp with empathy. The reason I say that is that in order to figure out what would cause other humans pain, one must have the imagination to put oneself in their (iron) shoes. Like, "Would that hurt? It would hurt me, so, yeah, I bet it would."

As far as I can tell, this sort of thing happened (and is still happening) all over the world, but perhaps because of our own cultural bias, the penchant of medieval Europe for creative infliction of pain, often for the most minor transgressions (or none at all), is very well-known. Pretty much everyone has heard of "The Rack" and maybe the "Iron Maiden" (whether the dungeon furniture is a worse torture than the band named after it is still an open question).

But it gets worse. Much, much worse.

From the Atlas Obscura article I linked up there:

It’s a wonderfully dark journey with tons of intriguing information. Many of the devices are equipped with mannequins displaying how they were used, which creates a lurid atmosphere.

Look, if anyone asks (the travel agent, for example), I'll just be like, "I'm a writer." Hell, that's my excuse for all my questionable Google searches.

The museum may be shocking to small children as there are wax figurines.

So don't bring your small children. Do I have to think of everything around here?

Best of all, if I go, I expect I'll be there in October. Perfect Halloween material.

1 Like • Comment

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