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cmonex - 2006-01-22 2:51 PM
one is that mathematics is more complex than most people would think
(what about sqrt -1 for example?
)
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CE Geek - 2006-01-22 10:22 AM
There could be a parallel universe where the square root of 1 is 7.
(Maybe H/PCs are still in production there.
) I do recall from high school that there is mathematical applicability of the square root of -1.
(For example, my employer uses it to calculate my salary.
)
Waiting for my new Jornada 820 I have come across this old thread. I do not want to seem pedantic, but the topic is too interesting to avoid writing something about this.
Reader, be warned
You do NOT need to have a parallel universe to have that the square root of 1 is equal to 7.
You just
(well, just!
) need to invent a mathematical system where, given some basic hypotheses, you
deduct that the square root of 1 is 7. Or, in principle, you could also state that one of the basic hypotheses is exactly that the square root of 1 be 7.
The fundamental need is that, given the hypotheses, you can build a logic mathematical system, without any contradiction.
This is exactly what has happened in geometry in the XVIII century, when it was discovered that it was possible to "build" different geometries by changing the postulate about the parallel lines on which "standard" euclidean geometry is based.
By the way: the square root of -1 is "i", the imaginary unit, at the basis of complex numbers. These are written as 'x + i y'
(for example 2 + 3 i
), where x is the real part and y is the imaginary part. An ordinary number is just a complex number with a null imaginary part.
Edit: fixed wrong quotations
Edited by BrianD 2006-04-25 6:55 PM
)
