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Ad4mWayn3@sh.itjust.works to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world · 20 hours ago

What is your favorite math constant that is NOT a real number?

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What is your favorite math constant that is NOT a real number?

Ad4mWayn3@sh.itjust.works to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world · 20 hours ago
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  • Sasha [They/Them]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    6 hours ago

    Matrix representations in general, if that counts?

    Complex numbers, polynomials, the derivative operator, spinors etc. they’re all matrices. Numbers are just shorthand labels for certain classes of matrices, fight me.

    • agelord@lemmy.world
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      5 hours ago

      Would you elaborate on the last statement?

      • Sasha [They/Them]@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        5 hours ago

        I’m just being silly, but I mean that if everything can be represented as a matrix then there’s a point of view where things like complex numbers are just “names” of specific matrices and the rules that apply to those “names” are just derived from the relevant matrix operations.

        Essentially I’m saying that the normal form is an abstract short hand notation of the matrix representation. The matrices are of course significantly harder and more confusing to work with, but in some cases the richness of that structure is very beautiful and insightful.

        (I’m particularly in love with the fact one can derive spinors and their transforms purely from the spacetime/Lorentz transforms. It’s a really satisfying exercise and it’s some beautiful algebra/group theory.)

  • Ludrol@szmer.info
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    8 hours ago

    j∧ or ĵ just a base vector

  • Toes♀@ani.social
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    18 hours ago

    Negative zero, comes up in comp sci.

  • ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠@slrpnk.net
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    19 hours ago

    I have a strong relationship to what you get when you divide by zero.

    Good ol’ NaN

    • tetris11@lemmy.ml
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      11 hours ago

      I like writing swear words into the mantissa of NaN numbers

    • PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S [he/him]@lemmy.sdf.org
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      17 hours ago

      You only get NaN for division by zero if you divide 0 by 0 in IEEE floating point. For X/0 with X ≠ 0, you get sign(X)•Inf.

      And for real numbers, X/0 has to be left undefined (for all real X) or else the remaining field axioms would allow you to derive yourself into contradictions. (And this extends to complex numbers too.)

  • untakenusername@sh.itjust.works
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    15 hours ago

    i=sqrt(-1) is nice, but im hoping someone finds a use for the number x where |x| = -1 or some nonsense like that because it looks fun to mess with

    • november@lemmy.vg
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      14 hours ago

      Those exist in the split-complex number system which adds the number j, where j^2=1 (but j does not equal 1 or -1). The modulus of j is -1.

  • november@lemmy.vg
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    14 hours ago

    I’m a big fan of 10-adics, especially this one.

    j is cool too, as is (1+j)/2.

  • PM_ME_VINTAGE_30S [he/him]@lemmy.sdf.org
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    17 hours ago

    j = √-1

    This comment was sponsored by EE gang

  • AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    ε, the base of the dual numbers.

    It’s a nonzero hypercomplex number that squares to zero, enabling automatic differentiation.

    • palordrolap@fedia.io
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      11 hours ago

      Came here to say this, but since it’s already here, I’ll throw in a bonus mind-melting fact: ε itself has no square root in the dual numbers.

    • november@lemmy.vg
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      8 hours ago

      Complex numbers 🤝 Split-complex numbers 🤝 Dual numbers

      All super rad.

  • quilan@lemmy.world
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    20 hours ago

    So complex or quaternion I imagine? ‘i’ it is!

    • JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca
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      19 hours ago

      √-4 = 2

      It’s all fun and games until someone loses an i.

  • furry toaster@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    20 hours ago

    ∞

    • Count042@lemmy.ml
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      9 hours ago

      Which one?

  • Bigfish@lemmynsfw.com
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    19 hours ago

    i?

    • whaleross@lemmy.world
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      15 hours ago

      Clavdivs?

  • CatGPT@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    17 hours ago

    Meow

  • nocturne@sopuli.xyz
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    19 hours ago

    Elevendy

  • aeronmelon@lemmy.world
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    19 hours ago

    I always like seeing π.

    • ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠@slrpnk.net
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      19 hours ago

      Pi is a real number, though. It’s irrational, but real.

      • aeronmelon@lemmy.world
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        17 hours ago

        Pi written out is a real number, yes, I’m referring to the symbol representing Pi. Does that not count?

        • Log in | Sign up@lemmy.world
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          14 hours ago

          Nnnnno.

  • ItsLysandreAgain@jlai.lu
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    19 hours ago

    Chaitin’s constants.

    Not even a number.

    • Ad4mWayn3@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      19 hours ago

      They are still real numbers. Specifically uncomputable, normal numbers. Which means their rational expansion contain every natural number.

      • ItsLysandreAgain@jlai.lu
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        17 hours ago

        Oops, I misunderstood what an uncomputable is…

        In that case, I would say Infinity-Infinity. This time, it’s truly not a number.

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