Amber & Imaginary Numbers

Please allow me to get my Math Geek on today?  The square root of -1 is all over the news today.  No, seriously: i has not one but two of the most-emailed pieces from the New York Times today.

There's first this article about...

“complex dynamics,” a vibrant blend of chaos theory, complex analysis and fractal geometry

...wherein computer models of complex equations with multiple solutions result in fractals.

And then, if that's not enough to make your math brain cells spin for one day, there's also this article about how everyone's favorite fantasy novel Alice in Wonderland is, among other things, parodying the early world of algebra.

Guess what I'll be reading next instead of going to see the new filmic adaptation in 3D?  (Sorry, Johnny, I'll have to love you in 2D after my three-day Avatar migraine.)

And now it makes so much more sense that Alice is my baby/laptop name.