The imaginary unit described as an algebraic ambiguity

Abstract

A complex number is formed by a real part and an imaginary part, the latter being composed of a real number multiplied by the imaginary unit “i,” defined as the square root of . For this reason, imaginary numbers cannot be placed on the real number line. The geometric representation of complex numbers is done in the so-called complex plane, composed of a real axis and an imaginary axis, orthogonal to the real line. However, from a philosophical point of view, the fact that the imaginary axis is not identified with any axis in three-dimensional Euclidean space raises ontological questions that transcend the well-established mathematical formalism of the set of complex numbers: are imaginary numbers just a sophism, an arbitrary invention, or a true mathematical discovery? Are imaginary numbers a glimpse of a parallel reality that is beyond our perception? In this article, I seek to demonstrate that the imaginary unit can be interpreted as an algebraic ambiguity that arises when representing certain vectors in the real plane as one-dimensional variables. Consequently, we will see how it is possible to express complex numbers in terms of real numbers.