NewRPL: Complex Numbers in Cartesian Form r[x,y] , ...

[Vtile]

(03-17-2017 04:08 PM)The Shadow Wrote:  I've always been a little dubious of using parentheses for complex numbers. For one thing, ordered pairs have plenty of other uses, which don't necessarily multiply in the complex manner. (Or even multiply at all.)

For that reason and others, I'd support using C(re, im) even on the stack. Or just always using the a+b*i form.

EDIT: Oh, and while we're on the topic, how about a system variable or flag to change what i^2 evaluates to? +1 for split-complex, 0 for dual.

And as long as I'm howling for the moon, how about adding complex j and k, so we can do quaternions? These could also perhaps be modified like i above, giving a wide range of capabilities. (Heck, you could store everything about i, j, and k in a single 3x3 matrix representing the multiplication table.)

Not gonna ask for octonions, though. They make my head hurt.

Does the split-complex have any real world application or is it purely theoretical concept to study and derive further mathematical concepts. Interesting none the less.

It still rings some bells of admittance (circuit theory) behaviour like I first picked it up.

What I have understood the quarternions are heavily used in 3D analyse and programming (or how you should describe it)?