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Rene Descartes came up with the word imaginary in 1637 to describe them. It was a derogatory term. He (and many other mathematicians of that age) did not like imaginary numbers. Many people didn't believe in them, because they were not real.

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Q: How did imaginary numbers get their name?
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Continue Learning about Basic Math

In a short explanation what is the real number system?

Real numbers are numbers that can be found on the number line. This includes both the rational and irrational numbers. The Real Numbers did not have a name before Imaginary Numbers were thought of. They got called "Real" because they were not Imaginary.


What is complex math?

Complex math covers how to do operations on complex numbers. Complex numbers include real numbers, imaginary numbers, and the combination of real+imaginary numbers.


What are imaginary numbers?

In mathematics, an imaginary number is a number whose square is a negative real number and written in the form bi where i is the imaginary number √(-1) and b is real.A complex number is a number with both real and imaginary numbers, such as (3+2i), where 3 is real and 2i is imaginary.Imaginary numbers were 'invented' by Gerolamo Cardano in the 1500's while solving cubic and quartic equations although it is said he did not understand their properties, and they were not properly defined until 1572 by Rafael Bombelli, although he did not name them imaginary numbers.The name came from Descartes in his book "La Geometrie" where it was meant to be derogatory and sarcastic, as the number √(-1) was thought not to exist by many mathematicians. It was not until the work of Euler in analysis that the imaginary number i was properly understood and widely acknowledged as being a proper numberAnother AnswerMathematicians call the horizontal and vertical axes of a graph, the 'real' and 'imaginary' axes. Numbers lying along the real (horizontal) axis are called 'real numbers', and numbers lying along the imaginary (vertical) axis are called 'imaginary numbers'.(see first discussion page entry)


What numbers are not real numbers?

The square root of any negative number is not a real number. denoted as i for imaginary because it does not exist, in the normal concept of numbers.Complex numbers (which include real and imaginary numbers) are combinations of real & imaginary numbers.While these numbers do not exist in the everyday concept of numbers, they are important in concepts of electricity and waves.


Is Every complex number is a pure imaginary number?

No. All Complex Numbers are of the form a + bi where a and b are Real Numbers and i is the square root of -1. So only ones where a = 0 are pure Imaginary Numbers.

Related questions

Are imaginary numbers irrational numbers?

No. Irrational numbers are real numbers, therefore it is not imaginary.


Which of these sets of numbers is not a subset of the real numbers irrational integer rational and imaginary?

Imaginary numbers are not a subset of the real numbers; imaginary means not real.


Can a complex number be imaginary?

Yes, imaginary numbers are a subset of complex numbers.


What is the difference between imaginary numbers and complex numbers?

No difference. The set of complex numbers includes the set of imaginary numbers.


Is the imaginary unit 8i irrational?

No, it is imaginary. Irrational numbers are a subset of real numbers Real numbers and imaginary numbers are sets without any overlap.


A number that is not real?

That probably refers either to an imaginary number, or to a complex number. Despite the weird name, the "imaginary numbers" (and the complex numbers) have many uses in math and science.


In a short explanation what is the real number system?

Real numbers are numbers that can be found on the number line. This includes both the rational and irrational numbers. The Real Numbers did not have a name before Imaginary Numbers were thought of. They got called "Real" because they were not Imaginary.


What are imagery numbers?

imaginary numbers are numbers that are a negative square root, which is not possoble therefor it is called and imaginary number. ex the square root of -24 is an imaginary number


Which number belongs to the set of imaginary numbers 2?

2 does belong to the set of imaginary numbers. Any real number is also imaginary. Imaginary numbers are the set of all numbers that can be expressed as a +b*i where "i" is the square root of negative one and "a" and "b" are both real numbers.


What did the mathematicians call square -1?

That number is called "i", the imaginary unit. The name "imaginary" is for historical reasons; these numbers have many practical applications, for example in electricity.


The symbol for imaginary numbers is?

An imaginary number is symbolized by the letter i


What type of problems have imaginary numbers?

Imaginary numbers are only ever used when you are using the square roots of negative numbers. The square root of -1 is i. You may find imaginary numbers when you are finding roots of equations.