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. |
As per usual for Sundays, I picked an old blog entry at random to comment on. This one's from 2009, and it's just a short personal update: "I'm in Hell." Last night, my wife went willingly to a Katy Perry concert. Apparently, I was still married in April of 2009. I never can remember when we separated. I think it was a couple of months later, but I don't care enough to chase that down. You know, the "I kissed a girl" chick? I didn't actually hate Katy Perry. Nowadays, I actually kinda respect her. Not the music, just her. What I despised, and still do, is fads. Wait, it gets worse: Apparently, the concert is part of the... Hello Katy tour. The context here is that I used to have this shtick about hating Hello Kitty, and juxtaposing a vapid-sounding pop singer with the nefarious neko would have been enough to clue readers at the time that I was, indeed, in hell. If you need me, I'll be over there in that room with all the cushions on the wall. Yeah, I shouldn't have made light of mental illness, but I did, and still do, a lot of things I shouldn't. |