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From: james@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: what is i raised to the ith power?
Message-ID: <5043@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Feb-84 18:21:43 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.5043
Posted: Thu Feb  9 18:21:43 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Feb-84 07:15:11 EST
References: <680@linus.UUCP>
Organization: Univ. of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.
Lines: 18

Easy, it is:

	 __
	-|| /
	   / 2
	e			(which is exp(-pi/2)).

The way to get this result is:

Any complex number C may be written as exp(a+bi) for some real a,b.
	      i
Then exp(a+bi)  = exp((a+bi) * i) = exp(ai - b).  (Using exponent rule.)
					   i
So consider C = i.  i = exp(0 + pi/2) ==> i  = exp(0i - pi/2) = exp(-pi/2).

The actual value is approximately .20787958

  --Jim