imaginary number

Signification (Anglais)

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.

Concepts

nombre imaginaire

nombre complexe

nombre imaginaire pur

Synonymes

complex number

imaginary

complex quantity

imaginary part

Traductions

imaginäre Zahl

imaginair getal

número puramente imaginário

número imaginário

samengesteld getal

komplexe Zahl

φανταστικός αριθμός

número imaginario

sanal sayı

nombre complex

nombre imaginari

عدد مُركّب

Étymologie (Anglais)

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.