Complex Numbers Have More Uses Than You Think

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
  • Complex numbers are often seen as a mysterious or "advanced" number system mainly used for solving similarly mysterious or "advanced" problems. But really, once you get used to them, they're really an elegant and (ironically) simple mathematical tool with application to more down-to-earth problems besides Quantum Mechanics or advanced Differential Equations or something. Let's see what these numbers can do!
    Want to support future videos? Become a patron at / morphocular
    Thank you for your support!
    =Chapters=
    0:00 - Intro
    1:45 - Complex number basics
    3:31 - Interpreting complex number multiplication
    7:55 - Angular velocity
    10:42 - Calculating angular velocity using complex numbers
    15:18 - Interpreting the formula
    17:59 - More uses of complex numbers
    19:48 - Special announcement!
    ===============================
    CREDITS
    The music tracks used in this video are (in order of first appearance): "Dream Escape", "Checkmate", "Orient", "Rubix Cube", "Frozen in Love"
    The track "Rubix Cube" comes courtesy of Audionautix.com
    ===============================
    The animations in this video were mostly made with a homemade Python library called "Morpho". If you want to play with it, you can find it here:
    github.com/morpho-matters/mor...

Komentáře • 444

  • @dylanparker130
    @dylanparker130 Před rokem +480

    "Complex Numbers are the language of 2D rotation" 7:54
    My friend once asked for applications of imaginary numbers. My Dad (an Engineer) said, "They're just for rotation, aren't they?". I couldn't believe that none of my Maths Professors had ever put it that bluntly!

    • @regarrzo
      @regarrzo Před rokem +59

      Probably because it's not true in a mathematics context that complex numbers are just for rotation

    • @dylanparker130
      @dylanparker130 Před rokem +16

      @@regarrzo The best suggestion I'd been able to make was that they showed in the analysis of a system's stability? Imaginary eigenvalues indicated oscillation, if I recall?

    • @regarrzo
      @regarrzo Před rokem +16

      @@dylanparker130 I don't really know what is meant by asking for applications. Is your friend looking for an engineering/science perspective or a mathematical perspective?
      In science and engineering, imaginary numbers can simplify many calculations dealing with perioid things. In mathematics, they are interesting because of their properties alone, e.g. being an algebraically closed field, holomorphic functions being infinitely differentiable, ...
      I don't really understand what you mean with your comment. What kind of system are you referring to? Linear systems with matrix with imaginary eigenvalues?

    • @dylanparker130
      @dylanparker130 Před rokem +6

      @@regarrzo I was referring to systems with equilibria whose stability can be studied through the eigenvalues of an associated Jacobian Matrix.

    • @regarrzo
      @regarrzo Před rokem +8

      @@dylanparker130 Ahh, then I understand. Thanks for clearing it up!

  • @theonearney205
    @theonearney205 Před rokem +355

    I would love to see a video on quaternions

    • @DoxxTheMathGeek
      @DoxxTheMathGeek Před rokem +16

      Me too! I love them, but I don't understand the polar-form.

    • @ikilledaman
      @ikilledaman Před rokem +20

      same because i don’t understand them at all

    • @lacryman5541
      @lacryman5541 Před rokem +3

      Probably a series of videos

    • @andremaldonado7410
      @andremaldonado7410 Před rokem +3

      Also would like to see a video on quaternions

    • @marcomoreno6748
      @marcomoreno6748 Před rokem +4

      Strange we'd get this video before quaternions, given how widespread they are in applications.

  • @goodguyamr6996
    @goodguyamr6996 Před rokem +38

    the animations are so clean that I almost forgot I was watching a math video I was so mesmerized 😭

  • @mgostIH
    @mgostIH Před rokem +239

    I hope you'll cover geometric algebra (Clifford Algebra) together with quaternions! Would be fun seeing them related and recover all this geometrical intuition in a single framework.

    • @happmacdonald
      @happmacdonald Před rokem +11

      I've just been independently studying geometric algebra (blame Marc Ten Bosch literally dissing quaternions starting me down that rabbit hole) and Grassmann numbers/algebra (because of spinors in QM) only to find out that they come together at Clifford Algebra, so I should ought to learn about that whole situation next. 😁

    • @lumipakkanen3510
      @lumipakkanen3510 Před rokem +8

      Seconded. It's really cool to see how objects satisfying the axioms of quaternions arise out of geometric algebra. Gives them context. By themselves quaternions are rather mysterious and you have to wave your hands a lot to justify using four-dimensional objects to manipulate 3D coordinates.

    • @viliml2763
      @viliml2763 Před rokem +5

      @@lumipakkanen3510
      Quaternions being equivalent to 3D rotors is really not all that a useful insight for practical applications, in fact it only causes confusion.
      The sooner everyone outside of pure maths forgets about quaternions the better, geometric algebra is a much better framework.

    • @lumipakkanen3510
      @lumipakkanen3510 Před rokem +6

      @@viliml2763 True from a fresh perspective. However we now have a history of using quaternions in 3D modeling, so bridging the gap is in order. There are also low-level arguments for using quaternions internally to save a few float multiplications even if the user interface speaks GA. Also remember that quaternions are a geometric algebra in their own right.

  • @kered13
    @kered13 Před rokem +40

    The formula f'(x)/f(x) is called the logarithmic derivative, because it is also equal to the derivative of log(f(x)). It can be interpreted as a proportional rate of change. For example, a value that grows by a constant 10% per year has a constant logarithmic derivative, and the original function is an exponential. It is then interesting that this same formula appears for angular speed as well, though I think it makes intuitive sense if you think about it, since angular speed is the scale-invariant form of circular speed. The real part of the formula in the video should also corresponds to the proportional rate of change in the magnitude of f(x), so then we have a complete interpretation of the complex valued f'(x)/f(x) as encoding both the angular velocity and the growth rate of the magnitude.

    • @MsKelvin99
      @MsKelvin99 Před 8 měsíci

      wow

    • @mervynlarrier9424
      @mervynlarrier9424 Před 4 měsíci

      In this example, we get that the w'= Im[f'(z)/f(z)]. How would you write this out though? The only way i can think to do it is taking the derivative of cos(t)+isin(t) and using that for the numerator, but doesn't that still end up suffering from the discontinuity problem he mentioned?

  • @marin3546
    @marin3546 Před rokem +121

    Complex Analysis is such an interesting field, and I think everyone would love to see more on this topic. Great video!

    • @happmacdonald
      @happmacdonald Před rokem +3

      I concur. Let's analyze this complex subject.

    • @whatelseison8970
      @whatelseison8970 Před rokem

      I found a really excellent lecture playlist that covers the most important parts. czcams.com/play/PLMrJAkhIeNNQBRslPb7I0yTnES981R8Cg.html

  • @General12th
    @General12th Před rokem +131

    Hi, Morph. This is a really great video!
    I also appreciate how you include well-written captions. Not every math channel does that.

  • @fotnite_
    @fotnite_ Před rokem +26

    Just finished an intro complex analysis class at uni last semester, and I gotta say this is a really good way to explain this stuff. Kind of sad that Cauchy's Integral Formula didn't show up here, especially because it's related to the rotational velocity problem, but I understand why that might be a bit in-depth for a 20 minute video that already needs to spend most of its time explaining the rotational velocity problem.

  • @AzureLazuline
    @AzureLazuline Před rokem +23

    i'm super rusty on my calculus... but the geometric interpretation afterwards is just *so* intuitive and brilliant! Thank you for making this video, and for all the others. ❤

  • @Chloe-ov2xr
    @Chloe-ov2xr Před rokem +8

    Hand down the best explanation of complex arithmetic I’ve ever seen! Thanks for the video!

  • @krigermark
    @krigermark Před rokem +3

    I've been looking everywhere for uses of complex numbers for the single most important paper on my entire education. It's due in 3 days, and you sir, just saved my life. Awesome video!

  • @charlieb6210
    @charlieb6210 Před rokem +1

    Your visuals are excellent and so helpful. Motivation is so important to learning math and you have hit the nail on the head with this video. Thank you!

  • @LeoDaLionEdits
    @LeoDaLionEdits Před rokem +5

    Love these videos. So easy to understand and very informative. Can't wait for more to come

  • @jonathandavis2731
    @jonathandavis2731 Před rokem +2

    Love your videos! First time catching one on release

  • @InfiniteRegress
    @InfiniteRegress Před rokem +29

    Morphocular, your topics and videos are always so great! Thanks so much for the work you put into them!
    I can't help but add, for anyone interested in the Riemann Zeta function and its mythical nontrivial zeros and understanding how to find them, the mentions of polar parametric functions and epicycles at the end of the video are incredibly useful. Just take a peek at the Dirichlet Eta Function and its amazing relationship with the Riemann Zeta function. ^_^

  • @thermon6945
    @thermon6945 Před rokem +1

    Thank you so much!! As a senior in high school who is looking into studying maths and physics at university, your videos are an invaluable asset for sparking my curiosity and building my intuition for mathematics.

  • @mega_mango
    @mega_mango Před rokem +5

    I just want to say that your videos are one of the most interesting thing in math CZcams.

  • @tamirkarniely6913
    @tamirkarniely6913 Před rokem

    Amazing. Simply amazing and elegant presentation of this mathematical field. Keep on the excellent work!

  • @DoxxTheMathGeek
    @DoxxTheMathGeek Před rokem +46

    I love complex numbers!

  • @matthewrayner571
    @matthewrayner571 Před rokem +4

    Great video! As a physics student with a passion for maths, this was really interesting and useful to watch.

  • @stevewhitt9109
    @stevewhitt9109 Před rokem +1

    I do look forward to quaternions also. Your unique viewpoint helped me to see more. Thks

  • @hanspeter5118
    @hanspeter5118 Před rokem +6

    While the "mysterious" angle formula arctan is indeed not continuous, the derivative actually is and yields the same result after short calculation:
    Θ' = (x y' - y x') / (x² + y²)
    No imaginary numbers needed, but the visual presentation is still worthy of a gold medal

    • @lox7182
      @lox7182 Před rokem

      Um what about theta = 0?

    • @hanspeter5118
      @hanspeter5118 Před rokem

      for Θ=0 => y=0, regardless from which side you approach the x-axis
      so Θ' = y' / x
      which is the correct result

  • @AriKath
    @AriKath Před rokem

    This is so beautiful , thank you so much! I am so grateful

  • @janemcelroy6044
    @janemcelroy6044 Před rokem +3

    19:21 I would love to see a video about quaternions from you in the future! I loved this one!

  • @Howtheheckarehandleswit
    @Howtheheckarehandleswit Před rokem +6

    I've loved every one of your videos so far, and I'm excited to see where you take the channel in the future! I wish I was in a position where I could join your patreon, perhaps someday. In the meantime, keep up the great work!

  • @Craig31415
    @Craig31415 Před rokem

    Great video! The awesome visualizations helped me understand complex numbers a lot more 😃

  • @evandrofilipe1526
    @evandrofilipe1526 Před rokem +6

    Really cool video and well done on the channel explosion, I would really love to see how geometric algebra can explain rotations in not only three but n dimensions, multi vectors ftw

  • @aditya007asva
    @aditya007asva Před rokem +1

    Even though it has been decades I touched or used mathematics. It facinates me to revisit the fundamentals of mathematics for a new perspective just for pure joy and appreciation of mathematics, which I feel I could not do justice a teenage student.
    Your video very elegantly explains it... Thanks for making such useful videos.

  • @plopgoot5458
    @plopgoot5458 Před rokem

    this hwas awesome, i didn't know that you could find angular velocity like this.
    i hope for another great video explaning quarternions and maybe also a video on others like the split-complex numbers and tessarines

  • @fourierfoyer365
    @fourierfoyer365 Před rokem

    This video could not have been more timely for me, thank you Morphocular :D

  • @mtate405
    @mtate405 Před rokem +1

    Genius. Thank you. I find a great value in your videos

  • @henryginn7490
    @henryginn7490 Před rokem +3

    Great video, it's nice to see a more original video introducing complex numbers rather than regurgitating the rules. I feel like those who like this video would also like "Are Complex Numbers Forced Upon Us? Multiplication in High Dimensions" by James Tanton, it shows their elegance nicely imo

  • @iamthebest2662
    @iamthebest2662 Před rokem

    Loved your video. I just have started Learning complex numbers in high school and getting to learn so much about it made me mad curious to learn more about it .

  • @ecologypig
    @ecologypig Před rokem +1

    Thanks very much for making this video. I didn't know that interpretation of multiplication by a complex number! it sounds a lot like the spectral decomposition of a matrix.

  • @johnstuder847
    @johnstuder847 Před rokem +4

    Great video. Love to see more on complex numbers, Fourier, epicycles, and quaternions 3D rotations…and General Stokes differential forms if you are into that. Thank you!

  • @tmarvel4347
    @tmarvel4347 Před rokem +2

    WOW!!😍 You increased my affection towards "complex" numbers....though I like to call them "Frisky numbers" ....I personally find them pretty interesting like they play around in the plane like child🥰
    keep it up 👍

  • @aliberkozderya3112
    @aliberkozderya3112 Před rokem +2

    Without teachings like this, found both on the internet and in good books, I would not be able study science. I am completely unable to learn by having a bunch of seemingly meaningless information being thrown at my face.
    Thanks a ton for sharing

  • @brandonprescott5525
    @brandonprescott5525 Před 11 měsíci

    Wow! Top notch content. Cannot wait to watch the quaternion video.

  • @mauriciocarazzodec.209

    loved it dude!
    keep it up
    greetings from brazil

  • @dylanparker130
    @dylanparker130 Před rokem

    I loved that step at 12:00 - genius!

  • @xujingzhe82
    @xujingzhe82 Před rokem

    Thank you very much for reaching!

  • @mixjzp4357
    @mixjzp4357 Před rokem

    Awesome video, neat explanation

  • @tedsheridan8725
    @tedsheridan8725 Před rokem

    Another great video!

  • @bigpopakap
    @bigpopakap Před 7 měsíci

    OOOOOOOH, I'd love a vide from you on quarternions! I loved the ones from Numberphile and 3b1b, but i think your beautiful visualizations and skill for revealing intuition will be a great addition to the topic

  • @parthvarasani495
    @parthvarasani495 Před rokem

    your knowledge and experience help to understand a lot. appreciate a lot. kindly make such beautiful videos. we will also support from our side as much we can as students.

  • @tasnimul0096
    @tasnimul0096 Před rokem

    best video on complex number for understanding its practical use! best

  • @carteiraricaeducacaoeinter3882

    First time I fully understood this topic. One of the most useful vídeos for me in internet.

  • @orresearch007
    @orresearch007 Před rokem

    this is good work, keep going!

  • @jaafars.mahdawi6911
    @jaafars.mahdawi6911 Před rokem

    Very well done. Keep up the spirit.

  • @146fallon9
    @146fallon9 Před rokem +1

    very inspiring video. Thank you for the masterpiece.

  • @ominollo
    @ominollo Před 6 měsíci

    Beautiful video 🙂

  • @nathank7569
    @nathank7569 Před rokem

    Excellent stuff.

  • @arulprakash5420
    @arulprakash5420 Před rokem

    Excellent video on this topic, this also explains how rotation matrix works in computer graphics
    Thank you.

  • @sandipmaurya7371
    @sandipmaurya7371 Před rokem

    Loved and Subscribed from India

  • @marcelopau2325
    @marcelopau2325 Před rokem

    Amazing, continue this exelent channel

  • @sanswag
    @sanswag Před rokem +1

    I like this video
    Makes me excited to learn more about it in my next semester

  • @zafran156
    @zafran156 Před rokem

    Your videos are sooooooooooo USEFUL! I know you Will say thank you

  • @EW-mb1ih
    @EW-mb1ih Před rokem +1

    very nice video, hope to see some explanation about quaternions

  • @J.B.L2227
    @J.B.L2227 Před rokem +2

    Amazing
    your channel is so underrated

  • @vinbo2232
    @vinbo2232 Před rokem +1

    Thank you. Hope to see your quaternion video.

  • @Nusret15220
    @Nusret15220 Před rokem +1

    Amazing work, I don't know what to say. I really, really appreciate it.

  • @78Mathius
    @78Mathius Před rokem

    Love your videos.

  • @agargamer6759
    @agargamer6759 Před rokem

    Great video!

  • @nouamanmoukassi81
    @nouamanmoukassi81 Před rokem

    love your videos!

  • @DavidGrossman-js2xu
    @DavidGrossman-js2xu Před 11 dny

    I finally understand this video!! Dope

  • @johanngerell
    @johanngerell Před rokem

    Thanks for making the background audio stand back a little and not dominate your voiceover

  • @Sokhyrr
    @Sokhyrr Před rokem

    You are amazing, thank you

  • @polishane8837
    @polishane8837 Před 10 měsíci

    As someone who just completed a secondary school maths curriculum, these videos are perfect since I have just the right amount of prerequisite knowledge to understand what is meant by these videos

  • @bilel114
    @bilel114 Před rokem +1

    Great video as always.
    Also, was the "angle" at 1:30 an intended pun?

  • @moodangelatx6580
    @moodangelatx6580 Před 3 měsíci

    Please continue. Great things from small.

  • @Mathymagical
    @Mathymagical Před rokem +6

    Thanks! Please do the quaternion time derivative.

  • @danielcorrea2396
    @danielcorrea2396 Před rokem

    love how you put the background in a dimmed yellow, so my eyes won't get tired

  • @tubebrocoli
    @tubebrocoli Před rokem

    I'll love it if you ever make a video like this on quaternions!

  • @MarcinSzyniszewski
    @MarcinSzyniszewski Před rokem

    Great video! :D

  • @person1082
    @person1082 Před rokem +1

    i can be rewritten as the product of the x and y basis vector, defined such that xy=-yx, x^2=1, and y^2=1
    multiplying vectors by i has the same effect as multiplying a complex number by i
    for example to rotate 2x+3y a quarter turn, we can do (2x+3y)xy=2xxy+3yxy=2y-3xyy=-3x+2y
    it gives a nice geometric interpretation of i as a plane (bivector)

  • @zemoxian
    @zemoxian Před rokem +3

    I used to want to extend every new thing I learned about complex numbers to quaternions. A few years ago when learning about how quaternions are useful for 3D rotations and more efficient than matrix rotations, I stumbled into geometric algebra.
    Now I need to know how everything I learn about complex numbers extend to geometric algebras!
    Fun fact is that complex numbers, quaternions, and vectors, and a bunch or hyper complex number systems are all subalgebras of geometric algebras.
    Plus other geometric numbers square to 1 and 0 turning circular rotation into hyperbolic rotation or translation. And they operate on any number of dimensions, not just 2 or 3.

  • @youtubeuser7111
    @youtubeuser7111 Před 7 měsíci

    Thank you sir 👍

  • @agrajyadav2951
    @agrajyadav2951 Před rokem +1

    took a couple minutes, but i got it, and its absolutely elegant af

  • @user-zn2zb7ri6n
    @user-zn2zb7ri6n Před rokem

    dude! I wish I would've came across this video before Signals and Systems class, I could've gotten a better grade! dang! It's sooo good, this 20 min video would've made an entire semester easier.

  • @dionisiocarmoneto
    @dionisiocarmoneto Před rokem

    Sir, your explanations are pretty, really nice. You explain in a very clear way. I can imagine how long it takes for you to produce a video like this. Congratulations Friend, for your effort. I am an observer [economist] from Brazil! I do not know where you are!

  • @ceromat2022
    @ceromat2022 Před 9 měsíci

    Nice to watch

  • @SynaTek240
    @SynaTek240 Před rokem

    Wowwowwow, this is really good stuff. I'm in teh first year of my bachelor's studies so I was about to close the video cause it started from stuff I already knew, but man am I glad I just skipped to 10 minutes cause that trick is so cool. I can't believe that I hadn't seen this before.

  • @anvayjain4100
    @anvayjain4100 Před měsícem

    I'm was in awe the whole time 😭

  • @user-vf5di9nz4s
    @user-vf5di9nz4s Před rokem

    graet explanation thanks

  • @MTGreat202
    @MTGreat202 Před rokem +1

    Stop making me excited for learning calc! Just one more year before it begins. Also love the animations and how these topics always tie up in the end

  • @CreativeDimension
    @CreativeDimension Před rokem +1

    The new thumbnail is much better

  • @manishp1336
    @manishp1336 Před 8 měsíci

    Thanks!

  • @elliotwilliams7523
    @elliotwilliams7523 Před rokem +1

    I saw the last part of your video with the future topics list. Please do the calculus of variations. There aren’t enough good videos on the topic.

  • @HenriqueCosta-fg1pk
    @HenriqueCosta-fg1pk Před rokem

    You’re as intelligent as you’re kind to us, it’s pleasure to be part of the journey of this channel

  • @constantinknab
    @constantinknab Před 3 měsíci

    this is sick!!

  • @swordofstrife1174
    @swordofstrife1174 Před rokem +1

    I felt a lot better about complex numbers after I took my first complex analysis course. They're really second nature to me now, and I just view them as the plane with a neat multiplication rather than something spooky and mysterious

  • @plekkchand
    @plekkchand Před rokem

    Beautiful, lucid. Similar to another math explaner in format, but without the affectation and twee.

  • @tnk.2033
    @tnk.2033 Před rokem +1

    please don't stop making these videos

  • @Eniac42
    @Eniac42 Před rokem

    Can't wait for a video on Quaternions

  • @kilianklaiber6367
    @kilianklaiber6367 Před rokem

    Very nice. Although I have used complex numbers a whole lot, I find this explanation quite enlightening. The presentation is wonderful.
    In my mind, the complex numbers are just the same as the 2D-vector space R^2, on which a particular multiplication is defined. Then, nothing is really imaginary and i^2 = -1 is just a short hand representation of the multiplication of these vectors. Then, nothing imaginary is left and we are not in fact stating that some strange number multiplied by itself is equal to minus 1.
    I had to figure this out in order to make sense of complex numbers and soon after that I found out that lots of other people had figured this out before me. But, for some strange reason noone ever explained it to me in this manner.

  • @J.B.L2227
    @J.B.L2227 Před rokem +4

    Videos left: hyperbolic numbers
    quaternions
    biquaternions
    octonions
    split-octonions
    sedenions
    trigintaduonions
    and dual numbers.

  • @lansscardas.f.3648
    @lansscardas.f.3648 Před 11 měsíci

    thank you sir.

  • @user-nm5ge9ht3c
    @user-nm5ge9ht3c Před rokem +2

    just a quick question: When you take the imaginary part of both sides to find the angular velocity, doesn't that imply that the term r'(t)/r(t)=0 when we take the real part? But that is clearly not true since the radius is constantly changing. What am I missing?

    • @marcospataro4223
      @marcospataro4223 Před rokem +2

      When taking the real part of the right-hand side, the real part of f'(t)/f(t) isn't necessarily zero. Instead, you get that it's actually equal to the real part of r'(t)/(t), and the two cancel out

  • @ArifulIslam-qw6lf
    @ArifulIslam-qw6lf Před rokem

    good stuff homie

  • @gravysnake78
    @gravysnake78 Před rokem +1

    I think I found one of my new favorite math fields