Skip to content

An Imaginary Tale: The Story of i [the square root of minus one]
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale: The Story of i [the square root of minus one] Hardcover - 1998

by Nahin, Paul J


From the publisher

Today complex numbers have such widespread practical use--from electrical engineering to aeronautics--that few people would expect the story behind their derivation to be filled with adventure and enigma. In An Imaginary Tale, Paul Nahin tells the 2000-year-old history of one of mathematics' most elusive numbers, the square root of minus one, also known as i. He recreates the baffling mathematical problems that conjured it up, and the colorful characters who tried to solve them. In 1878, when two brothers stole a mathematical papyrus from the ancient Egyptian burial site in the Valley of Kings, they led scholars to the earliest known occurrence of the square root of a negative number. The papyrus offered a specific numerical example of how to calculate the volume of a truncated square pyramid, which implied the need for i. In the first century, the mathematician-engineer Heron of Alexandria encountered I in a separate project, but fudged the arithmetic; medieval mathematicians stumbled upon the concept while grappling with the meaning of negative numbers, but dismissed their square roots as nonsense. By the time of Descartes, a theoretical use for these elusive square roots--now called "imaginary numbers"--was suspected, but efforts to solve them led to intense, bitter debates. The notorious i finally won acceptance and was put to use in complex analysis and theoretical physics in Napoleonic times. Addressing readers with both a general and scholarly interest in mathematics, Nahin weaves into this narrative entertaining historical facts and mathematical discussions, including the application of complex numbers and functions to important problems, such as Kepler's laws of planetary motion and ac electrical circuits. This book can be read as an engaging history, almost a biography, of one of the most evasive and pervasive "numbers" in all of mathematics.

Details

  • Title An Imaginary Tale: The Story of i [the square root of minus one]
  • Author Nahin, Paul J
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First edition
  • Pages 257
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ
  • Date 1998
  • ISBN 9780691027951

About the author

Paul J. Nahin is the author of many best-selling popular math books, including Digital Dice, Chases and Escapes, Dr. Euler's Fabulous Formula, When Least Is Best, Duelling Idiots and Other Probability Puzzlers, and Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt (all Princeton). He is professor emeritus of electrical engineering at the University of New Hampshire
Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

The Story of √-1

The Story of √-1: An Imaginary Tale

by Pal J. Nahin

  • New
  • Hardcover
Condition
New
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
1
Seller
FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.00
$4.50 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Today complex numbers have such widespread practical use--from electrical engineering to aeronautics--that few people would expect the story behind their derivation to be filled with adventure and enigma. In An Imaginary Tale, Paul Nahin tells the 2000-year-old history of one of mathematics' most elusive numbers, the square root of minus one, also known as i. He recreates the baffling mathematical problems that conjured it up, and the colorful characters who tried to solve them.
Item Price
$5.00
$4.50 shipping to USA
An Imaginary Tale: The Story of [the square root of minus one]
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale: The Story of [the square root of minus one]

by Nahin, Paul

  • Used
Condition
UsedVeryGood
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Skokie, Illinois, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.51
$4.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedVeryGood. Pages are clean! Very slight shelf wear to the dust jacket Fast Shipping - Each order powers our free bookstore in Chicago and sending books to Africa!
Item Price
$5.51
$4.00 shipping to USA
An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1

by Nahin, Paul J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.87
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Princeton University Press. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$5.87
FREE shipping to USA
An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1

by Nahin, Paul J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Princeton University Press. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA
An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1

by Nahin, Paul J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Princeton University Press. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA
An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1

by Nahin, Paul J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Like New
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Princeton University Press. Used - Like New. Used book that is in almost brand-new condition.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA
An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1

by Nahin, Paul J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
3
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.12
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Princeton University Press. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.12
FREE shipping to USA
An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1

by Nahin, Paul J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.12
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Princeton University Press. Used - Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.12
FREE shipping to USA
An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale : The Story Of v-1

by Nahin, Paul J

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.12
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Princeton University Press. Used - Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$7.12
FREE shipping to USA
An Imaginary Tale: The Story of [the square root of minus one]
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

An Imaginary Tale: The Story of [the square root of minus one]

by Nahin, Paul

  • Used
Condition
UsedGood
ISBN 13
9780691027951
ISBN 10
0691027951
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Interlochen, Michigan, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.94
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
UsedGood. The item shows wear from consistent use, but it remains in good condition and works perfectly. All pages and cover are intact (including the dust cover, if applicable). Spine may show signs of wear. Pages may include limited notes and highlighting. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.
Item Price
$7.94
FREE shipping to USA