definitions

complex number

noun

a mathematical expression (a + bi) in which a and b are real numbers and i2 = −1.

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Nearby words

complex analysis, complex carbohydrate, complex conjugate, complex fraction, complex ion, complex number, complex odontoma, complex partial seizure, complex plane, complex precipitated epilepsy, complex salt

Origin of complex number

First recorded in 1825–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for complex number

complex number

noun

any number of the form a + i b, where a and b are real numbers and i = √–1See number (def. 1)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for complex number

complex number

[ kŏm′plĕks′ ]

A number that can be expressed in terms of i (the square root of -1). Mathematically, such a number can be written a + bi, where a and b are real numbers. An example is 4 + 5i.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.