To give a brief example, you could point to a map and say walk 5 meters east, and 5 meters south. This would also mean 5 -5i on a Cartesian graph. Also this is used in wave calculations as waves can be denoted as vectors and plotted on a graph.
The term imaginary is stupid. They should be called lateral or perpendicular numbers
JalarianDeAndre t1_j6cg4wc wrote
Reply to ELI5: Why do imaginary numbers even need to exist? by Tharsis101
Imaginary numbers are 2D numbers.
To give a brief example, you could point to a map and say walk 5 meters east, and 5 meters south. This would also mean 5 -5i on a Cartesian graph. Also this is used in wave calculations as waves can be denoted as vectors and plotted on a graph.
The term imaginary is stupid. They should be called lateral or perpendicular numbers