imaginary number

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noun Mathematics.

Also called imaginary, pure imaginary number. a complex number having its real part equal to zero.

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Origin of imaginary number

First recorded in 1905–10

Words nearby imaginary number

image tube, imaginable, imaginal, imaginary, imaginary axis, imaginary number, imaginary part, imaginary runner, imaginary unit, imagination, imaginative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use imaginary number in a sentence

A theory obeying the rules of quantum physics needs imaginary numbers to describe the real world, two new experiments suggest.
Quantum physics requires imaginary numbers to explain reality|Emily Conover|December 15, 2021|Science News
Now from a quadric equation we derive, in like manner, the notion of a complex or imaginary number such as is spoken of above.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7|Various

British Dictionary definitions for imaginary number

imaginary number

noun

any complex number of the form i b, where i = √–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

Scientific definitions for imaginary number

imaginary number

[ ĭ-măj′ə-nĕr′ē ]

A type of complex number in which the multiple of i (the square root of -1) is not equal to zero. Examples of imaginary numbers include 4i and 2 - 3i, but not 3 + 0i (which is just 3). See more at complex number.