History of Complex Numbers
Abstract
A complex number is a number that can be written in the form of a+bi where a and b are real numbers and i is the value of the square root of negative one. In the form a + bi, a is considered the real part and the bi is considered the imaginary part. The goal of this project is show how the use of complex numbers originates in the history of mathematics.
Introduction
Complex numbers are very important component of mathematics. They enable us to solve any polynomial equation of degree n. Simple equations like x3+1 would not have solutions if there were no complex numbers. The complex number has enriched other branches of mathematics such as calculus, linear algebra (matrices), trigonometry, and you can find its applications in applied sciences, and physics. In this project we will present the history of complex numbers and the long road to understanding the applications of this truly powerful number.
I) Ancient History
Russian Egyptologist V.S. Glenishchev traveled to Egypt in 1893 on routine business little did he know that what he would purchases would change how the world viewed Ancient Egyptian civilization, and shape mathematical landscape for years to come Stolen from the valley of kings in 1878, at Deir el-Bahri, the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus which was sold to the Museum of fine arts in Moscow in 1912 by V.S. Glenishchev, and where it remained a mystery until its translation in 1930; is the oldest Egyptian papyrus remaining Based on the Carbon dating and orthography of the text, it was most likely written in the 13th dynasty and based on older material probably dating to the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt, roughly 1850 BC. Approximately 18 feet long and varying between 1½ and 3 inches wide, its format was divided into 25 problems with solutions by the Soviet Orientalist Vasily Vasilievich Struve in 1930. In particular the 14th problem on the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus is a good example of how to find the volume of a truncated
A complex number is a number that can be written in the form of a+bi where a and b are real numbers and i is the value of the square root of negative one. In the form a + bi, a is considered the real part and the bi is considered the imaginary part. The goal of this project is show how the use of complex numbers originates in the history of mathematics.
Introduction
Complex numbers are very important component of mathematics. They enable us to solve any polynomial equation of degree n. Simple equations like x3+1 would not have solutions if there were no complex numbers. The complex number has enriched other branches of mathematics such as calculus, linear algebra (matrices), trigonometry, and you can find its applications in applied sciences, and physics. In this project we will present the history of complex numbers and the long road to understanding the applications of this truly powerful number.
I) Ancient History
Russian Egyptologist V.S. Glenishchev traveled to Egypt in 1893 on routine business little did he know that what he would purchases would change how the world viewed Ancient Egyptian civilization, and shape mathematical landscape for years to come Stolen from the valley of kings in 1878, at Deir el-Bahri, the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus which was sold to the Museum of fine arts in Moscow in 1912 by V.S. Glenishchev, and where it remained a mystery until its translation in 1930; is the oldest Egyptian papyrus remaining Based on the Carbon dating and orthography of the text, it was most likely written in the 13th dynasty and based on older material probably dating to the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt, roughly 1850 BC. Approximately 18 feet long and varying between 1½ and 3 inches wide, its format was divided into 25 problems with solutions by the Soviet Orientalist Vasily Vasilievich Struve in 1930. In particular the 14th problem on the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus is a good example of how to find the volume of a truncated
Bibliography: 1. R.Larson, R.hostetler, B.Edwards Calculus Alternate sixth edition, houghton Miffin Co. ,1998 2. C.Clawson Mathematical Mysteries, Basic Books.,1996 3. P.j.Nahin An imaginary tale: the story of i, princeton science library, 1998 4. D.Ross Master Math: Trigonometery, Cenegage learning, 2002