Processing math: 100%
Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)

How do i find the square root of a negative number....?

 

Lets say \sqrt -4

My calculator gives me the answer 0

 

is it because -a(-a)=+b where a equals -2(i assume -2 should be its squared root but its not)

Edited by stopandthink
Posted

Well, that's a bad calculator. It should either give you an error or the correct answer (which 0 is not).

 

To take a square root of a negative number, you need to factor out a \sqrt{(-1)}. Since -1=i2, the answer is 2i.

Posted

You have entered the world of imaginary numbers. (imagine that).

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imaginary_number

An imaginary number is a number whose square is less than or equal to zero.[1] For example, 93582e14cba3526f3daafb30a933a4a6.png is an imaginary number and its square is 2cc51c3ea088939d879bae1092a7ed0b.png. An imaginary number can be written as a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit 865c0c0b4ab0e063e5caa3387c1a8741.png, which is defined by its property 685245741281622a3f11315dfd81cd98.png.[2]

 

An imaginary number 99d4fb3db1563c87da2cdfc0158b37c3.png can be added to a real number 0cc175b9c0f1b6a831c399e269772661.png to form a complex number of the form 3de90564c61daf602b582735803fed9c.png, where 0cc175b9c0f1b6a831c399e269772661.png and 92eb5ffee6ae2fec3ad71c777531578f.png are called, respectively, the real part and the imaginary part of the complex number. Imaginary numbers can therefore be thought of as complex numbers whose real part is zero. The name "imaginary number" was coined in the 17th century as a derogatory term, as such numbers were regarded by some as fictitious or useless, but today they have a variety of essential, concrete applications in science and engineering.

 

zorro

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.