imaginary number

Bedeutung (Englisch)

1. (strict-sense) A number of the form bi, where b is any real number and i denotes the imaginary unit.
2. (broadly) A number of the form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and b is nonzero.

Konzepte

imaginäre Zahl

komplexe Zahl

Synonyme

complex number

imaginary

complex quantity

imaginary part

Übersetzungen

nombre imaginaire

imaginair getal

nombre imaginaire pur

número imaginário

número puramente imaginário

nombre complexe

sanal sayı

φανταστικός αριθμός

samengesteld getal

número imaginario

número complexo

nombre imaginari

nombre complex

Etymologie (Englisch)

The adjective imaginary in this context was first used (as French imaginaire) by René Descartes in 1673, La Geometrie, referring to imaginary numbers in the broad sense, as non-real roots of polynomials. Descartes' usage was derogatory, but the concept later gained acceptance through the work of Leonhard Euler and Carl Friedrich Gauss in the 18th century.