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. |
Another from the same source as yesterday; this time, about inventions of the more tangible kind. 5 Products Invented By the Last Person You’d Expect Sometimes, people venture into fields they have no business in, with beautifully mixed results 5 Mark Twain’s Bra Straps No doubt, they phrased it that way deliberately. Missouri’s favorite literary son was also a celebrated inventor, but you probably didn’t realize he had a hand in your over-the-shoulder boulder holder. Definitely deliberate. 4 Roald Dahl’s Brain Shunt Roald Dahl is best known for writing children’s books... And promoting racism. ...but his arguably more significant contribution to society was saving their lives. Oh, then, that totally makes up for the racism. After his infant son was hit by a car, he was left with a condition that causes fluid to build up in the brain, and finding the valve meant to relieve it insufficient, Dahl invented a new kind of brain shunt with the help of a neurosurgeon and a toymaker that wound up in the skulls of thousands of children. A neurosurgeon, a toymaker, and a writer walk into a bar... 3 Marlon Brando’s Drumhead-Tightener No, this wasn't a kid Brando hired, with or without innuendo, but another invention. 2 A Dentist’s Cotton-Candy Machine Now, look, this is supposed to be about unexpected inventors. A dentist inventing a thing sure to give dentists more business is hardly unexpected. 1 Penn Jillette Invented a Vibrator And I'm just going to leave this sitting there, untouched. |