Siteadmin, Check users, nsTeam1RO, nsTeam1RW, nsTeam1_talkRO, nsTeam1_talkRW, oversight, Administrators
30,650
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 12:
Line 12: + + + + + +
Stop all this silly fussing.
:: I second this motion: this sentence should be erased. ''Real numbers'' are as real - or imaginary - as complex numbers. --[[User:DiEb|DiEb]] 15:41, 15 August 2008 (EDT)
:: I second this motion: this sentence should be erased. ''Real numbers'' are as real - or imaginary - as complex numbers. --[[User:DiEb|DiEb]] 15:41, 15 August 2008 (EDT)
'''EDIT:''' I've altered the sentence in question to reflect my comment.--[[User_talk:Recorder|Recorder]] 15:30, 15 August 2008 (EDT)
'''EDIT:''' I've altered the sentence in question to reflect my comment.--[[User_talk:Recorder|Recorder]] 15:30, 15 August 2008 (EDT)
As someone who scored in the 99th percentile on my math SATs as a teen, I seem to recall that "imaginary" has nothing to do with imagination. The square root if minus one - termed ''i'' - is called imaginary because it represents a parabola which never touches the axis to leave roots.
The "real" numbers have nothing to do with existence either. It's just that [[rational number]]s can be expressed as the '''ratio''' of two integers, while real numbers cannot.
To some I say don't be misled by the connotations of the terms. To others I say do not deliberately mislead our young readers by adding patent nonsense to the math articles. There is nothing obscure, arcane, or hard to understand about the basic math concepts taught from primary up to high school levels. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] <sup>[[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]]</sup> 16:40, 23 August 2008 (EDT)
==Again: Real vs. Imaginary==
==Again: Real vs. Imaginary==