Math · 3
Which mathematical expression did Gottfried Leibniz once describe as 'almost an amphibian between being and non-being'?
Answer
The square root of −1
Leibniz used this striking metaphor to capture the strange, seemingly contradictory nature of the square root of -1, which does not correspond to any real quantity yet proved mathematically useful.
💡 Did you know?
Leibniz believed √−1 was a mystical glimpse of God, declaring it 'a beautiful monument of the human spirit' and 'almost an amphibian between being and non-being.'
Other options people guess
- The number zero
- Pi (π)
- Euler's number (e)
Topics
- imaginary-numbers
- leibniz
- history-of-math
- philosophy
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