Basics of Complex Numbers
Definition of a Complex Number
A complex number z takes the form of z = a + bi, where a and b are real and $ i = \sqrt-1 $. (i, sometimes written as j, is an imaginary number.) Essentially, what this means is that complex numbers are numbers having both a real and imaginary part. (It is possible for a = 0 or b = 0 and the number to still be considered complex, since real numbers and imaginary numbers are simply considered special cases of complex numbers.)
Visualization of a Complex Number
Complex numbers can be plotted on a 2-dimensional plane, called the Argand plane. One axis represents the real part of the complex number, and the other axis represents the imaginary part of the complex number. Traditionally, the real axis is horizontal, and the imaginary axis is vertical.
