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The author tells the 2000-year old history of one of mathematics’ most elusive numbers, the square root of minus one, also known as i, re-creating the baffling mathematical problems that conjured it up and the colourful characters who tried to solve them. Addressing readers with both a general and scholarly interest in mathematics, Nahin weaves into this narrative entertaining historical facts, mathematical discussions, and the application of complex numbers and functions to important problems. *Contents Introduction; The puzzles of imaginary numbers; A first try at understanding the geometry of Ö–1; The puzzles start to clear; Using complex numbers; More uses of complex numbers; Wizard mathematics; The nineteenth century, Cauchy, and the beginning of complex function theory; Appendixes. 280pp (2001) 240 × 160 mm ISBN 9788173713996
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Pages : 280
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