/sci/ - Science & Math

>>11577324

Look how fucking cool this function is. Are you telling me you wouldn't want to be able to compute this function in your head? How much of a boss would you be if you could visualize the output to a function like this?

>>11577355
>it is the definition of sqrt(-1)
>just like a + (-a) = 0 is the definition of -a

WRONG. It is not just a definition that someone made up arbitrarily. Don't teach people that.

It is the brilliant and creative solution to the very simple but misleading polynomial equation:

x^2 + 1 = 0

Similarly, negative numbers are the SOLUTION to the equation

x + 1 = 0

which requires slightly less ingenuity although similar by way of "extending" a number system to allow for an inverse operation.

Math is about solving problems. It is not just some arbitrary collection of definitions that someone pulled out of their ass. The answer to these questions is never "It's just how it's defined." that is WRONG.