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imaginary part
noun
: the part of a complex number (such as 3i in 2 + 3i) that has the imaginary unit as a factor
Examples of imaginary part in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Complex numbers can be plotted on a plane, with the real part on the x-axis and the imaginary part on the y-axis.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, WIRED, 4 Aug. 2024
The x coordinate corresponds to the real part and the y coordinate to the imaginary part:
The complex zeta function that Riemann investigated can be visualized as a landscape above the plane.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 1 July 2024
The new paper shows that treating the system as real requires introducing extra information that usually resides in the imaginary part of the wave function.
—Quanta Magazine, 3 Mar. 2021
In this solution, known as the Argand (or complex) plane, the location of every point is the sum of a real part for its horizontal distance and an imaginary part for its vertical distance from the origin.
—Quanta Magazine, 14 Feb. 2019
Complex numbers are made up of a real part and an imaginary part.
—Quanta Magazine, 25 Oct. 2018
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Word History
First Known Use
1747, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near imaginary part
Cite this Entry
“Imaginary part.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imaginary%20part. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
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