imaginary part

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. the coefficient b in the complex number a + bi.

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imaginary part British  

noun

1. the coefficient b in a complex number a + i b , where i = √–1

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Etymology

Origin of imaginary part

First recorded in 1925–30

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

imaginary part

In the mathematical description of a quantum state, the real part represents the amplitude, while the imaginary part represents the phase.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

Phoenix was imaginary, part of a 2009 government preparation exercise for a killer hurricane dubbed Project Phoenix — an exercise updated in 2020 focusing on small business recovery.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2022

Let’s consider the number The real part of the complex number is and the imaginary part is 3.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 13, 2015

This term is called the complex conjugate of the denominator, which is found by changing the sign of the imaginary part of the complex number.

From Textbooks ● Feb. 13, 2015

The horizontal axis represents the real part of the complex number, while the vertical axis represents the imaginary part.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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