Question

Does anyone know where the “i” came from

Answer 1

i is √-1

Explanation:

The definition of i is ...

i = √(-1)

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The i shows up in the solution of 2x² +1 = 0.

`2x^2=-1\\\\x^2=(-1)/(2)=(-2)/(4)\\\\x=\pm(√(-2))/(√(4))=\pm(√((-1)(2)))/(2)=\pm(√(-1)\cdot√(2))/(2)\\\\\boxed{x=\pm(i√(2))/(2)}\qquad\text{use $i$ for $√(-1)$}`