MadSci Network: Science History |
The question should be: "Who invented imaginary numberS?"
Imaginary or Complex numbers were developed to satisfy a need, and that need was to solve certain complex equations.
I won't give you any names, but I believe that the Greeks came up with the "concept" of i, and complex numbers. The Greeks were heavily into math as you might have guessed.
Here are a few links about the history of i:
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/dr.math/problems/engel9.4.97.html
http://www.ccacademy.pvt.k12.ma.us/students/Matt_n_Kevin/index~1.htm
http://www.math.toronto.edu/mathnet/questionCorner/complexorigin.html
For future reference: try using the keywords "history imaginary numbers" on any online search engine (www.yahoo.com, www.google.com, www.altavista.com) and see what you get.
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Science History.