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. |
Antwerp yesterday. Not a lot of beer, though, but a quick tour of the very interesting historical areas, or at least the highlights thereof. I didn't really expect to spend any time in Antwerp this trip, so the few hours I did spend there were a pleasant surprise. Well, except for all the goddamned cobblestones. While I was there, a couple of women biked past me. I heard one of them comment, "I've never come this way before." The other replied, "I know, right? It's the cobblestones." Okay, okay, some variation of that joke is older than I am, and obviously, it's just a joke. Back to being semi-serious, an entry from back in July discussed this city: "Let Me Give You a Hand" . I didn't get to see (or drink) anything mentioned there, but my tour guide did relate the "Silvus Brabo defeated a rent-seeking giant and lopped off his hand" mythological origin of the city as if it were fact. This would be akin to a Roman tour guide taking the Romulus and Remus wolf-adoption story seriously. Still, myths and legends are powerful things, and they lead to very real things like paintings, statues, and cathedrals. I've deliberately avoided a lot of purely tourist-bait photos in here during this trip, wanting to focus (pun intended) on a more street-level and personal experience. But I thought this shot of the Silvus Brabo with the severed giant's hand fountain/statue in the market square outside the city hall was worth sharing. |