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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. |
23 charts and maps that show the world is getting much, much better https://www.vox.com/2014/11/24/7272929/global-poverty-health-crime-literacy-good... It's worth looking at that link. I don't dispute any of it - I probably should, but I can't be arsed to check anything - but here's the thing: We're doomed anyway. No amount of incremental progress in any area changes this simple fact. If we don't do it to ourselves, a giant meteor or the Yellowstone Supervolcano or a nearby supernova or some other calamitous event will do it to us. Sooner or later. Besides, most of this good news - people living longer, child mortality decreasing, poverty decreasing, violent crime decreasing, etc. - means a greater increase in population, which in turn means that we'll hit a Malthusian catastrophe ![]() Ain't I just a ray of melanoma-inducing sunshine? |