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From: rentsch@unc.UUCP (Tim Rentsch)
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: what is i raised to the ith power?
Message-ID: <6742@unc.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 11-Feb-84 12:43:31 EST
Article-I.D.: unc.6742
Posted: Sat Feb 11 12:43:31 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 14-Feb-84 01:09:17 EST
References: <680@linus.UUCP> <5043@umcp-cs.UUCP>, <353@ihlts.UUCP>
Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lines: 13

Just to add fuel to the controversy -- the stuff with multiple values
happens only if that nasty log function (which is multiple valued, and
no mistake) gets involved.  There are no such problems with exp(x) since
it is defined by the power series

    exp(x) = sum from i = 0 to 1/0 of x**i/i!

which converges for all x and does not require anything funny for multiple
values (since integer exponentiation is quite well defined).  What about the
i**i case?  Some clever person know how to define x**y without using log
(and so clear up all this multiple valued nonsense)?