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Monday, Apr. 29, 2024

11:22pm EDT

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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:

GeminiGem of House Lannister

about 9 hours ago
In response to "Supplementary"

Working in health care for a zillion years, I've heard it all. The whole thing about something being natural, therefore it would be good for a person is very, very, very...very prevalent. An internist I worked with had a fantastic comeback to that line of thinking. She would say, "Arsenic is natural, are you going to start taking that?"

1 Like

Lazy Writer est 4/24/2008

a day ago
In response to "Revisited: "Exercise""

I will be 75 in July. My stepdaughter gave me a bike because I wanted to ride it again. Well, I started off shaky and stayed shaky...then I fell off it...A passing motorist stopped to help me get up...I have NOT been back on that bike and will not ever again.

🌕 HuntersMoon

a day ago
In response to "Revisited: "Exercise""

So, you're saying that now you pedal your ass differently?

Elisa the Bunny Stik

Apr 27, 2024 at 10:33am
In response to "Pleasure and Pain"

it illustrates why it's important to have people from different backgrounds, with different worldviews, working on scientific research.

This right here is why I get rather irritated by people poo-pooing college these days. I feel like that attitude effectively shits on minority populations that may not have strong finances but do possess persistent curiosity and want to learn about various subjects in-depth. In the 90s, these groups were exclusively told to go to trade schools even if they had the aptitude for college education. Nowadays the blanket "Everyone should consider a trade" mantra employs a more subtle (but still abundant) form of discrimination. I'm so over it.

1 Like

Kåre Enga in Udon Thani

Apr 25, 2024 at 3:16am
In response to "Going to the Dogs"

I have ants in Thailand. Will I miss them in Montana? No.

Would it be nice to have a cat and a dog, here or there? Yes, but I have struggles keeping my neglected plants alive.

Not every situation is suitable for everything or everybody.

Kåre Enga in Udon Thani

Apr 25, 2024 at 3:09am
In response to "Tipped Out"

I don't tip. In my travels I rarely find tipping the norm.

I also don't haggle.

When you add the tip... the true cost of America becomes evident. But what would I know? I travel while others who have double my income can't pay rent.

Kåre Enga in Udon Thani

Apr 25, 2024 at 2:58am
In response to "Reality Cubed"

My dreams may be different from your dreams but if we share them with others then some form of the dream may live on. Regardless, if we don't eat we die. "Joy gives us wings." "Reality bites."

Aiva Raine

Apr 24, 2024 at 4:26pm
In response to "Tipped Out"

Agreed. I'll tip and well, for actual waitstaff at restaurants. I'll tip appropriately for bell-staff who assists with luggage at hotels, the more luggage, the bigger the tip. I'll give a tip to the valet as well. Beyond that- I don't tip. Certainly no tip for the fast food workers, coffee baristas, grocery store clerks, etc.

It annoys me to no end that we're being asked to tip for all kinds of jobs where they are being paid an hourly wage. I've worked as a waitress when I was young and my daughter currently does. In those jobs- she absolutely depends upon proper tipping to make a decent wage. And I hate the fact that she is dependent upon tips to do so.

It leaves women especially at the mercy of arsh**() on whether she wants to accept hostile, negative, sexist, harassing, demeaning, and negative behavior from her customers in order to make a living. It condones people treating their waitstaff like shite in order to get paid. While there is much improvement from the 30 years ago when I was working as a waitress in the skimpy outfits we were forced to wear- it's still an issue at non-chain, independent owned restaurants and diners.

Women are left to the mercies of jerk customers and their only recourse is the manager who they have to hope supports their waitstaff rather than the jerk customer. Tipping should be eliminated. All employees should be paid a livable wage and waitstaff especially should not be dependent upon tolerating crappy to obscene behavior from customers in order to make a living.

But, until that happens- I always tip at least 20% and often times more. Very rarely have I tipped lower and the service in those situations was abysmal and they still got 10%.

1 Like

GeminiGem of House Lannister

Apr 23, 2024 at 6:51pm
In response to "Going to the Dogs"

I don't understand the intersection, either. I lived in a much smaller city and found that having dogs was a hassle (although it didn't stop me), what with the complainey neighbors, the extra licensing, etc. I live in a rural location now and it works great. I can't wrap my head around living in NYC with or without a dog, although I like the idea of a place that issues a canine and supplies upon moving there. Can that please be a thing?

1 Like

Lazy Writer est 4/24/2008

Apr 23, 2024 at 3:31pm
In response to "Going to the Dogs"

I love my little dog...but I live in a biggish house with a fenced backyard.

1 Like

September 27, 2020 at 2:27am

#994334

Not So Prompt

Oh, yeah! Hung-over prompts time!

PROMPT September 27th

We are nearing the end of the month, and as always, I need your help to fill the Challenge War Chest with new prompts! In your entry today, write three of your own blogging prompts and then use one of them to complete your entry.

So, let's see. Blog prompts. Many of this month's prompts have been quite thought-provoking, and I'm not sure I can top them in my current condition. Fortunately, I don't have to top them, just come up with different ones.

In that spirit...

1) What are your favorite procrastination techniques?

2) Tell us about your favorite food. Include all the sensory description you can: smell, sight, etc. Why do you eat it even though you know it's bad for you?

3) Talk about a time someone gave you a compliment, but you felt you didn't deserve it.

Yeah, I know, they're kinda salty. If you had my hangover right now you'd be pickled too.

Because this entry is later than my usual entries, I figure it's appropriate to tackle #1.

What are your favorite procrastination techniques?

Oh, there are so many. So, so many.

I guess the most important procrastination technique is "forgetfulness." When I know I have something important to do by a deadline, I distract myself by doing something else until I forget what it is or when it's due. Then I wake up in the middle of the night screaming because I suddenly remember what it was, how essential it was for my well-being, and that it was due last week.

Another good one is cleaning. Now, I hate cleaning with an all-consuming passion, but occasionally I get saddled with something I want to do even less. This is a good way to actually get me to straighten some things up, because I tell myself cleaning doesn't require a lot of brain power and I can use the time to think about the thing whose deadline is rapidly approaching. Usually this means I half-ass the cleaning and half-ass the... whatever the other project is.

Then there are the times I convince myself that in order to do project A, first I need to tackle project B. But project B requires the results of project C, which in turn requires me to complete project D. The biggest problem here is that project D is heavily dependent on project A being complete. I call this Recursion to Infinity Procrastination, or RIP, which will be etched on the tombstones of my unfinished projects.

Occasionally, procrastination isn't all bad, and I manage to get other things done, like when I'm stuck on a story so I decide to do some reviewing instead. At least then I get reviews done. Most of the time, though, I just waste time until the adrenaline kicks in so I can't wait any longer.

If you're expecting me to be all sunshine and light here and give tips for not procrastinating, remember 1) who you're reading here and 2) the hangover bit from above.

Hopefully, though, this has been at least a teensy bit amusing for you readers, because I'm suffering for my art here, and my art is supposed to be comedy.

9 Like • Comment • View 6 comments

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