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 usual for Sundays, I picked an older entry at random to take another look at. This one's old, indeed, as these things go, from January of 2008. It's just a short personal update, so feel free to ignore it. I did: "Exercise" I don't even recognize the person who wrote that. I assume it was a past version of me, someone who lived in my house and drank my beer. Not that I don't still have intermittent back problems, but I've given up on a lot of things, fixing my back being one of them, and swimming being another. I realize that other peoples' dreams are about the most boring things to relate, but since we're talking about exercise, I remembered that I keep having dreams about riding a bicycle. Not a motorcycle, but, like, a mountain bike or a 10-speed—something that I absolutely can't do now. It is, therefore, the only form of exercise that I actually want to do and no, a stationary bike won't cut it. They say you never forget how to ride a bike. I'm betting those dreams are just my brain making sure that's true. |