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. |
A double dip into the pit of the past today. The entry is from all the way back in 2007: "1984" Nothing to do with George Orwell, and not a lot of text there, mostly just a picture of me and my friend Pat from, well, 1984. Not a lot of photos exist of me from that era. Or any era, really. I hate having my picture taken, even more now than I did back then. That's one reason I became a photographer; better to be on the other side of the lens. Unlike most things from the past, I'm not too embarrassed by this pic. I mean, sure, the hair, but who wouldn't be embarrassed by what they did with their hair in the 80s? Mine's longer now, and Pat's is... well, he still has some, so that's something. |