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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. |
PROMPT November 28th Today, the prompt intentionally asks you to be succinct. It is also an invitation to enjoy your day first, before sitting down to write your entry, which I know is not the typical habit of some of you. But bear with me ![]() Intentionally enjoy your day before writing today’s entry. Be present with your family and friends or make an effort to do something you love. At the end of the day, when you are content and the house is quiet, write a maximum of five sentences describing the most positive thing you will remember about today. A rainbow spanned the Hudson River. I saw it today while riding in an Uber from Newark toward Manhattan; it appeared against ominous clouds to the north while the low-slung sun shone from the southern sky. Delicate, ephemeral, attenuated, it would not have survived capture in my phone's camera, so I didn't even try. I just stared out the window, glad for once that I was not driving so that I could etch its image into the contours of my mind: a rainbow at noon, prismatic colors sprayed over that most bleak of urban/industrial landscapes like otherworldly graffiti. Remarkable, really, how you can find beauty in the most unexpected of places and at the most unlikely of times. |