Tim Daneliuk wrote: > A number by itself is called a "scalar". For example, when I say, > "I have 23 apples", the "23" is a scalar that just represents an > amount in this case. > > One of the most common uses for Complex Numbers is in what are > called "vectors". In a vector, you have both an amount and > a *direction*. For example, I can say, "I threw 23 apples in the air > at a 45 degree angle". Complex Numbers let us encode both > the magnitude (23) and the direction (45 degrees) as a "number". > 1. Thats the most creative use for complex numbers I've ever seen. Or put differently: That's not what you would normally use complex numbers for. 2. Just to confuse the issue: While complex numbers can be represented as 2-dimensional vectors, they are usually considered scalars as well (since they form a field just as real numbers do).
> There are actually two ways to represent Complex Numbers. > One is called the "rectangular" form, the other the "polar" > form, but both do the same thing - they encode a vector. > Again, that is just one way to interpret them. Complex numbers are not vectors (at least no moe than real numbers are). /W -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list