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. |
In September of 2020, WDC celebrated 20 years of online activity, and my account reached its 16th anniversary. Today's throwback reminded me of this, because it was from the beginning of that month: "Cheese? What Kind of Cheese? I Want Brie" Hm. Another WDC birthday week. That means I'll be 16 soon. Obviously, that means that, in about six months, I'll be turning 20. Damn, I can't wait until my account can legally drink. No, I mean I literally can't wait; I do it anyway. The linked entry was a response to a prompt from "30-Day Blogging Challenge ON HIATUS" [13+], which I miss, but I have some idea of the amount of work involved, which makes me shudder to think about. The prompt was, in part: "I know this is cheesy, but I have to do it... In your entry today, write about what you love about Writing.Com." Hence the "cheese" reference in the title. You know, my hesitation on prompts like this is not that it's cheesy. I can do cheesy. It's that I've been here for just short of 16 years, and no matter how much I try, there is no way I wouldn't forget someone significant if I tried to list all of the people who are important to me here. Obviously, it's 3.5 years later now. But my attitude on that subject hasn't changed: better to snub everyone equally than to risk snubbing one individual when creating a list of usernames. I've been on the other side of this, of course. Someone I consider a friend will list the people that mean the most to them on WDC, and I'm not on it. Rationally, I know I'm not everyone's favorite (nor do I seek to be). Monkey brain, though, feels slighted at being left out. I don't want anyone else feeling that way, so, like I said back then: Everyone that I've interacted with over the years -- occasionally unpleasantly, usually quite the opposite -- has helped to make me what I am today. That includes you, since you're reading this. One of the major reasons I do these Revisited entries is to see what's changed since the original entry. In this case, it's not much. Just time. Fortunately, some cheeses age better than others. |