Complex number | Britannica (original) (raw)

Print

_verified_Cite

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Select Citation Style

Feedback

Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).

Feedback Type

Your Feedback

Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

• Khan Academy - Intro to complex numbers
• University of Oxford - Mathematical Institute - Complex Numbers
• The University of Rhode Island - Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematical Sciences - A Short History of Complex Numbers
• Story of Mathematics - Complex Numbers – Properties, Graph, and Examples
• Mathematics LibreTexts - Introduction to Complex Numbers
• Clark University - Complex Numbers

Written and fact-checked by

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Key People:

Carl Friedrich Gauss

Abraham de Moivre

Related Topics:

quaternion

Argand diagram

complex variable

imaginary number

Gaussian integer

complex number, number of the form x + yi, in which x and y are real numbers and i is the imaginary unit such that _i_2 = -1. See numerals and numeral systems.