root of unity

noun

Mathematics.

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So what is a root of unity anyway?

The number itself is a root of unity: i2=-1, so i4=1, making a 4th root of unity.

So a root of unity is any number which, when multiplied by itself some number of times, yields 1.

To make this more concrete, I happen to know that ei2π/7 is a root of unity.

We can get an nth root of unity for any number by replacing the 7 in ei 2π/7 by n.

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