Imaginary number
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An imaginary number in mathematics is any number that contains the non-real square root of negative one, commonly referred to as i:
- <math>i = \sqrt{-1}</math>
This number appears to "solve" some equations that would otherwise have no solutions. Much like division by zero, there is however an existence and uniqueness issue. This is also evident from the fact that the "scientific" calculators which supposedly handle "imaginary" numbers, usually throw an error when one tries to compute the square root of negative one (just as when dividing by zero).
The analysis of imaginary numbers forms the basis for the field of mathematics known as complex analysis.