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Complex Numbers

by Robert Waltz

Rated: 18+ · Book · Personal · #1196512

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.

http://www.ddewey.net/mandelbrot/

Signature for Honorable Mentions in 2018 Quill Awards

A signature for exclusive use of winners at the 2019 Quill Awards

Signature for those who have won a Quill Award at the 2020 Quill Awards

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Elisa the Bunny Stik

May 29, 2024 at 9:02am
In response to "Ordinary Average Guy"

I think we need to be careful about saying there's no difference in socializing between online and off. I saw the following in response to a comment about discussions of gender online and the stances taken by LGBTQ community members that are chronically online:

"Truth. I had to stop looking for queer spaces online because it was full of this and angry exclusion discourse. I found some queer spaces offline and it reminded me that most people are normal and chill."

This is a topic I will likely be visiting in my journal in July. I figured I'd at least get this response in here first as a warm-up.

1 Like

Elisa the Bunny Stik

May 28, 2024 at 1:46pm
In response to "Long in the Tooth"

I feel I was too busy as a teen to screw around in convenience stores. On the rare occasion I wasn't at school or working, I tended to hang out by myself. If I hung out with friends, it was usually at someone's house (rarely mine).

Elisa the Bunny Stik

May 27, 2024 at 11:42am
In response to "Olive It And More"

Every once in a while, someone will misread the order slip and give me green peppers, which are an abomination, instead of green olives.

They truly are an abomination. If you're going to put peppers on a pizza, make sure it's anything but those little soggy cardboard slice things. Hell, even poblanos would be a major upgrade.

1 Like

Elisa the Bunny Stik

May 27, 2024 at 11:38am
In response to "Coming Up the Pike"

Man, people on Fandom Secrets would be aghast at how much you like Strange New Worlds. Personally, I haven't seen much of it. However, I did watch an episode at the gym once and found it enjoyable. It gave me that fascinated feeling I had when watching The Next Generation as a kid.

1 Like

Elisa the Bunny Stik

May 27, 2024 at 11:13am
In response to "Burgundy"

I will admit that I'm not much of a wine drinker. I've had reds and whites but tend to prefer reds. Then again, when it comes to booze, I tend to prefer things that are more intense in flavor. White wines...tend not to be that way for me.

2 Like

Elisa the Bunny Stik

May 27, 2024 at 10:38am
In response to "Distrust the Process"

That being said, I do think that people going out of their way to demonize ultra-processed foods are causing just as many issues as lobbyists are. These folks' actions exacerbate eating disorders and nervous thinking around food insecurity in equal measure. I wish the conversation around this set of actions was louder.

3 Like

Elycia Lee ☮

May 27, 2024 at 10:31am
In response to "Distrust the Process"

To me, as long food is 100% natural, then it is healthy. Pretty much like fruits, veggies and rice. I know people have thoughts about whether rice is good or not, but it is natural food so... I shall go with that.

2 Like

Kåre Enga in Montana

May 25, 2024 at 3:13pm
In response to "Plan Solo"

I'm more introverted than extroverted, but my only apprehension involves language and cultural barriers.

I'm bi- or ambi- but... always annoying. I waver between wanting to be left alone and not wanting to be alone.

I make my adjustments as necessary.

But LANGUAGE and CULTURE: true barriers that can cause problems for some and angst for me. I love strangers but find it frustrating when I can't connect.

For Belgium: make those plans soon. Today's connectivity means booking lodging in advance. In the old days it was show-up-and-ask-if-they-have-a-room. Still possible but not recommended unless cost is not an issue.

I prefer staying in hostels but rarely join in 'events'. I have gone out with fellow travelers however.

Kåre Enga in Montana

May 25, 2024 at 2:58pm
In response to "Banned Camp"

I remember when the movie "Brokeback Mountain" received "F"s from folks who basically commented that they would never NEVER watch such filth. Even those who liked or enjoyed it missed the main theme of poverty (financial, cultural, individual...). Personally, I preferred the short story to the movie. Both made a point that America didn't/doesn't want to face: choice and lack of choice.

That said, if someone were to ban my poetry I could probably live off of the notoriety.

Burning at the stake though seems a more likely outcome.

2 Like

🌕 HuntersMoon

May 25, 2024 at 11:32am
In response to "Banned Camp"

"Any book worth banning is a book worth reading." Isaac Asimov

2 Like

November 4, 2020 at 3:27pm

#997646

Run, Nose, Run!

No, I do not have a hangover; thanks for asking so loudly.

PROMPT November 4th

Details, details, details... Pick something in your view and describe it in as precise detail as possible without naming what the object is. See if you can get your readers to guess what object you're describing.

I did, however, wake up with a runny nose. This happens to me from time to time; while I'm not technically allergic to anything (except maybe an obscure ingredient in some protein bars), dust or pollen can irritate my sinuses just like with many actual humans.

But, of course, these days, a runny nose can be a death sentence, or worse, so my mind immediately leaped to: Could it be Trump-mumps? It feels just like every other time Nature has a good laugh at the expense of my mustache (it's hard to catch all the drips), but my best friend tested positive for Covfefe-19 the other day. Fortunately, she's basically on the other side of the country and I haven't seen her in person for months, so I couldn't have caught it from her. Still, that's where my mind went; it's 2020 and part of me would welcome the sweet release of death, but I'd prefer it not to take two weeks on a ventilator to get there. Anyway, I even took my temperature and, if anything, it's a bit low, I'm guessing from all the ethanol from last night that my system is currently frantically trying to process.

And yet, my nose is running like Niagara Falls, and it's annoying as hell.

All of this is to not only kvetch about it -- my blog, I can kvetch if I want -- but make the object from the prompt maybe easier to guess.

Its basic shape is a rectangular parallelepiped, which I can spell just fine but don't ask me to pronounce it. Wait, that won't help much, will it? It's a right rectangular prism, a rectangular cuboid... oh hell, it's a three-dimensional object with six rectangular faces, the parallel planes of which are congruent. The regularity of the container is broken by a large oval cutout in its cardboard. This morning, it was completely full of soft white pieces of flimsy paper, half of which are gone now because, at the risk of repeating myself, my nose absolutely will not stop running and no antihistamine or decongestant has ever done a goddamn thing for me.

The box is printed with artwork: stylized flowers. I'm pretty damn sure this is to make it so that people will buy more of these things faster, because we're highly suggestible, and what is one thing that triggers people with allergies? Flowers. That's what. It doesn't matter if the flowers are real or just pictures; hell, people have gone into sneezing fits just looking at oil paintings of flowers.

And the ones that don't have flowers on them? Grass. Ugh.

I guess they don't print them with pictures of ragweed because that would be too obvious.

So this thing's in my field of view, within easy arm's reach, and will remain so until Nature decides to stop messing with my head. Literally.

To make matters worse, I use a CPAP machine to sleep. If I don't use it, I don't sleep well, and I invariably wake up with a headache and a scratchy throat, not to mention everyone within five counties can hear me snoring. But if I do use it, it goes over only my nose. And right now, what's in my nose is desperately trying to escape, which makes wearing the damn mask that much more of a pain in the tuchis.

And yes, I know full well that lots of people have it worse than I do right now. That doesn't stop me from being irritated with the Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse (his name is Minor Inconvenience; Famine, War, Death and Pestilence don't talk about him very much).

Chances are I'll do tomorrow's entry just after midnight, as usual. I couldn't do it last night because I was entirely drunk (as you have probably already intuited). But if I had, I would have missed the opportunity to describe this object and kvetch about my sinuses.

10 Like • Comment • View 6 comments

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