The Power of Imaginary Numbers

The imaginary number, written as i, is a special kind of number that mathematicians invented to solve

problems real numbers can’t handle. Its defining rule is simple: i squared equals negative

one. That’s weird at first, because no real number squared gives

a negative result. But with i, suddenly equations like “x squared plus one equals

zero” make sense, and the solutions become “x equals plus or minus i.” Imaginary numbers

combine with real numbers to form complex numbers, which are incredibly useful in math,

science, and engineering. They show up in electricity, circuits,

waves, signals, and even in computer graphics. So while i sounds