complex number


noun
  1. a mathematical expression (a + bi) in which a and b are real numbers and i2 = −1.

Origin of complex number

1
First recorded in 1825–35

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for complex number

complex number

noun
  1. any number of the form a + i b, where a and b are real numbers and i = √–1: See number (def. 1)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for complex number

complex number

[ kŏmplĕks′ ]


  1. A number that can be expressed in terms of i (the square root of -1). Mathematically, such a number can be written a + bi, where a and b are real numbers. An example is 4 + 5i.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.