Why do we call complex numbers “numbers” but we don’t consider 2-vectors numbers?
$begingroup$
We refer to complex numbers as numbers. However we refer to vectors as arrays of numbers. There doesn’t seem to be anything that makes one more numeric than the other. Is this just a quirk of history and naming or is there something more fundamental?
matrices complex-numbers terminology philosophy
$endgroup$
|
show 3 more comments
$begingroup$
We refer to complex numbers as numbers. However we refer to vectors as arrays of numbers. There doesn’t seem to be anything that makes one more numeric than the other. Is this just a quirk of history and naming or is there something more fundamental?
matrices complex-numbers terminology philosophy
$endgroup$
10
$begingroup$
Usually, the difference would be whether you're in a context where complex multiplication would be interesting. It's kind of like the question: is $mathbb{Z}$ a group or a ring? It depends on which operations are of interest for the question you're studying.
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– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
12
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What's a "number" anyway?
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– Asaf Karagila♦
yesterday
12
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@QthePlatypus: No, that's exactly the point. The question of whether the set $mathbb{R}^2$ of pairs of real numbers should be considered as the set of complex numbers, or as a set of vectors, depends on which operations you wish to equip that set with.
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– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
7
$begingroup$
I think the correct question were: is there a rigorous definition of the object "number" (without further characteristics such as "integer", "real", "complex" etc.)?
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
Some considerations can be found here: math.stackexchange.com/q/865409
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
$begingroup$
We refer to complex numbers as numbers. However we refer to vectors as arrays of numbers. There doesn’t seem to be anything that makes one more numeric than the other. Is this just a quirk of history and naming or is there something more fundamental?
matrices complex-numbers terminology philosophy
$endgroup$
We refer to complex numbers as numbers. However we refer to vectors as arrays of numbers. There doesn’t seem to be anything that makes one more numeric than the other. Is this just a quirk of history and naming or is there something more fundamental?
matrices complex-numbers terminology philosophy
matrices complex-numbers terminology philosophy
edited 14 hours ago
Basj
3941528
3941528
asked yesterday
Q the PlatypusQ the Platypus
2,9061135
2,9061135
10
$begingroup$
Usually, the difference would be whether you're in a context where complex multiplication would be interesting. It's kind of like the question: is $mathbb{Z}$ a group or a ring? It depends on which operations are of interest for the question you're studying.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
12
$begingroup$
What's a "number" anyway?
$endgroup$
– Asaf Karagila♦
yesterday
12
$begingroup$
@QthePlatypus: No, that's exactly the point. The question of whether the set $mathbb{R}^2$ of pairs of real numbers should be considered as the set of complex numbers, or as a set of vectors, depends on which operations you wish to equip that set with.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
7
$begingroup$
I think the correct question were: is there a rigorous definition of the object "number" (without further characteristics such as "integer", "real", "complex" etc.)?
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
Some considerations can be found here: math.stackexchange.com/q/865409
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
10
$begingroup$
Usually, the difference would be whether you're in a context where complex multiplication would be interesting. It's kind of like the question: is $mathbb{Z}$ a group or a ring? It depends on which operations are of interest for the question you're studying.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
12
$begingroup$
What's a "number" anyway?
$endgroup$
– Asaf Karagila♦
yesterday
12
$begingroup$
@QthePlatypus: No, that's exactly the point. The question of whether the set $mathbb{R}^2$ of pairs of real numbers should be considered as the set of complex numbers, or as a set of vectors, depends on which operations you wish to equip that set with.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
7
$begingroup$
I think the correct question were: is there a rigorous definition of the object "number" (without further characteristics such as "integer", "real", "complex" etc.)?
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
Some considerations can be found here: math.stackexchange.com/q/865409
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
10
10
$begingroup$
Usually, the difference would be whether you're in a context where complex multiplication would be interesting. It's kind of like the question: is $mathbb{Z}$ a group or a ring? It depends on which operations are of interest for the question you're studying.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
$begingroup$
Usually, the difference would be whether you're in a context where complex multiplication would be interesting. It's kind of like the question: is $mathbb{Z}$ a group or a ring? It depends on which operations are of interest for the question you're studying.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
12
12
$begingroup$
What's a "number" anyway?
$endgroup$
– Asaf Karagila♦
yesterday
$begingroup$
What's a "number" anyway?
$endgroup$
– Asaf Karagila♦
yesterday
12
12
$begingroup$
@QthePlatypus: No, that's exactly the point. The question of whether the set $mathbb{R}^2$ of pairs of real numbers should be considered as the set of complex numbers, or as a set of vectors, depends on which operations you wish to equip that set with.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
$begingroup$
@QthePlatypus: No, that's exactly the point. The question of whether the set $mathbb{R}^2$ of pairs of real numbers should be considered as the set of complex numbers, or as a set of vectors, depends on which operations you wish to equip that set with.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
7
7
$begingroup$
I think the correct question were: is there a rigorous definition of the object "number" (without further characteristics such as "integer", "real", "complex" etc.)?
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
$begingroup$
I think the correct question were: is there a rigorous definition of the object "number" (without further characteristics such as "integer", "real", "complex" etc.)?
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
1
1
$begingroup$
Some considerations can be found here: math.stackexchange.com/q/865409
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
$begingroup$
Some considerations can be found here: math.stackexchange.com/q/865409
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
|
show 3 more comments
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
They're called "numbers" for historical reasons, since the motivation in the development of the complex numbers was solving polynomial equations. They were viewed as natural extensions of the real numbers. It's somehow quite natural and satisfying to say "every polynomial equation can be solved by some (complex) number". Is it more natural to regard $i$ as being a number which, when squared, is equal to $-1$, or is it more natural to regard $i$ as being some non-number thingamajig which when squared is equal to $-1$? Clearly the former.
"Higher" number systems, like quaternions, aren't really called numbers very often, for the simple fact that they are not as intimately connected with number theory and analysis in the same way that complex numbers are.
Beyond these social conventions, I can't see any other reason. The word "number" doesn't have a strict or absolute definition in pure mathematics. $mathbb{N}$, $mathbb{Z}$, $mathbb{Q}$, $mathbb{R}$ and $mathbb{C}$ are technically just sets with a certain algebraic structure.
I partially disagree with the other answers which claim that complex numbers are numbers simply by virtue of the fact that you can add and multiply them. Well, if that's the rationale, is every ring also a set of numbers?
$endgroup$
6
$begingroup$
Wikipedia calls the quaternions a number system.
$endgroup$
– JJJ
20 hours ago
5
$begingroup$
You can also tell what opinion people had of a number system based on its name, generally (it is not a coincidence that the word rational means both a number system and a way of thinking). At least the old ones.
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– PyRulez
18 hours ago
$begingroup$
Agreed; the use of the word number is definitely a matter of convention. As for opinions; the use of the word 'real' numbers is regarded as an incredibly triggering piece of propaganda by physical finitists...
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– Eelco Hoogendoorn
12 hours ago
2
$begingroup$
@PyRulez I would have expected that "rational" comes from "ratio", not from "ration".
$endgroup$
– Thern
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Thern The English words "ratio", "rational" and "reason" all come from the same Latin root "ratio", meaning "reckoning" or "reasoning"
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– David Richerby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
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The two fundamental operations for numbers are "addition" and "multiplication" which obey very nice "laws" of arithmetic. Taking powers is also important. You can do all of those things with complex numbers. You can add two vectors but the "dot" product of two vectors is not a vector and the "cross" product of two vectors does not satisfy the "nice laws". Neither the dot product nor the cross product of vectors can be used to define powers.
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So Quaternions which have Non commutativity multiplication would also be considered as non numbers?
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– Q the Platypus
yesterday
5
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That's a good point- though I have never liked quaternions! Multiplication of quaternions is not commutative but it is associative which allows powers. That's what I was really thinking of.
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– user247327
yesterday
4
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You can also add and multiply matrices, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a matrix a "number".
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– Hong Ooi
22 hours ago
7
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@user247327: It's worth pointing out that IEEE 754 floating point numbers are non-associative, closed under division, non-reflexive (i.e. they violate $forall a:a = a$), non-substitutable (i.e. numbers which are "equal" cannot always be substituted for one another in expressions or equations), and also the most widely used approximation of the reals in practical computing applications.
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– Kevin
22 hours ago
3
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@Todd Sewell - I think this may relate to positive and negative zero. Positive and negative zero are equal, yet if you divide something by one or the other you may get positive or negative infinity.
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– Hammerite
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
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Numbers appeared first when we started to count things. $1$ tree, $2$ trees, $3$ trees, and so forth. That make up the set of non-zero natural numbers: $mathbb{N}$. Afterwards, people started to "count backwards" to get $mathbb{Z}$ (I'm just kidding, you can do some research on how negative numbers appeared historically). With the urge to divide things without remainders, the set of rational numbers $mathbb{Q}$ made its way to the world. A certain idea of geometric continuity gives us $mathbb{R}$. Finally we want all equations to have a root, that's how $mathbb{C}$ comes into play.
I guess what is considered "numbers" is rather a social question. The use of $mathbb{C}$
in physics and its $2$-D representation must have given a good intuition for a large set of people to accept it's intuitive enough to be considered "numbers".
I think it's not that natural to think of $mathbb{C}$ as a $mathbb{R}$-vector space of dimension $2$, not more natural than to think of $mathbb{R}$ as an infinite-dimensional $mathbb{Q}$-vector space, nor of $mathbb{Q}$ as a non-infinitely-generated $mathbb{Z}$-module.
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3
$begingroup$
People do think of complex numbers as points on the number plane.
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– Q the Platypus
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
Thank you. I'm sorry, that final part is just a personal opinion. edited.
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– Leaning
yesterday
add a comment |
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I think naming is a rather soft topic, so there may not be a hard answer. However, I think it is worth noting that complex numbers are one of the three associative real division algebras (real numbers, complex numbers, and quaternions). These are all linked by the idea that division is meaningful in those three systems.
In general, a 2 dimensional real vector cannot admit a concept of division which matches what we expect division to do. However, if said real vector defines addition and multiplication the way complex numbers do, division is a natural result of those definitions.
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add a comment |
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Both, complex numbers and vector spaces are mathematical spaces, i.e., sets equipped it with some structure, e.g., operations (such as addition or multiplication) and rules obeyed by them (such as commutativity or associativity).
Without that structure, these sets are pretty useless:
You can hardly make any interesting statements about them or connect them to reality.
For example, without any structure, the only difference between ℝ and ℝ² is how we tend to name the objects within: We can find bijective maps between them.
Of course, once we impose the usual structure onto these sets, we will note that these maps do not preserve any of it (they are not even continuous) and thus are not very relevant.
Now, for ℝ² (the space of 2-vectors) and ℂ, some structure such as addition is the same, but some isn’t, e.g., there is no equivalent to complex multiplication in ℝ².
This distinction in structure is the only relevant difference between ℝ² and ℂ.
If you define a multiplication of 2-vectors that just mirrors complex multiplication, you would just be inventing complex numbers under a different name.
So much for why it is justified to apply different labels to complex numbers and 2-vectors.
As for why we call complex numbers numbers in the first place, there’s certainly a bit of history involved (of which I know little) and number is not a mathematically defined concept anyway.
That being said, calling complex numbers numbers is not completely deviod of consistency, given that complex numbers feature most of the structural properties of other sets that we call numbers (for even more historical reasons), e.g., the vast majority of things you can do with real numbers, you can also do with complex numbers.
This does not hold for 2-vectors.
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add a comment |
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[Possibly not a direct answer, but]
Notice ordinal sum and product are not commutative, that full distributivity of multiplication over addition and of exponentiation over product fails, and they're still regarded as numbers. OTOH, the corresponding operations for vector spaces are well-behaved (probably because they do become cardinal-like once you identify the isomorphic ones) and yet we don't tend to think of or to refer to them as numbers.
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add a comment |
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6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
They're called "numbers" for historical reasons, since the motivation in the development of the complex numbers was solving polynomial equations. They were viewed as natural extensions of the real numbers. It's somehow quite natural and satisfying to say "every polynomial equation can be solved by some (complex) number". Is it more natural to regard $i$ as being a number which, when squared, is equal to $-1$, or is it more natural to regard $i$ as being some non-number thingamajig which when squared is equal to $-1$? Clearly the former.
"Higher" number systems, like quaternions, aren't really called numbers very often, for the simple fact that they are not as intimately connected with number theory and analysis in the same way that complex numbers are.
Beyond these social conventions, I can't see any other reason. The word "number" doesn't have a strict or absolute definition in pure mathematics. $mathbb{N}$, $mathbb{Z}$, $mathbb{Q}$, $mathbb{R}$ and $mathbb{C}$ are technically just sets with a certain algebraic structure.
I partially disagree with the other answers which claim that complex numbers are numbers simply by virtue of the fact that you can add and multiply them. Well, if that's the rationale, is every ring also a set of numbers?
$endgroup$
6
$begingroup$
Wikipedia calls the quaternions a number system.
$endgroup$
– JJJ
20 hours ago
5
$begingroup$
You can also tell what opinion people had of a number system based on its name, generally (it is not a coincidence that the word rational means both a number system and a way of thinking). At least the old ones.
$endgroup$
– PyRulez
18 hours ago
$begingroup$
Agreed; the use of the word number is definitely a matter of convention. As for opinions; the use of the word 'real' numbers is regarded as an incredibly triggering piece of propaganda by physical finitists...
$endgroup$
– Eelco Hoogendoorn
12 hours ago
2
$begingroup$
@PyRulez I would have expected that "rational" comes from "ratio", not from "ration".
$endgroup$
– Thern
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Thern The English words "ratio", "rational" and "reason" all come from the same Latin root "ratio", meaning "reckoning" or "reasoning"
$endgroup$
– David Richerby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
They're called "numbers" for historical reasons, since the motivation in the development of the complex numbers was solving polynomial equations. They were viewed as natural extensions of the real numbers. It's somehow quite natural and satisfying to say "every polynomial equation can be solved by some (complex) number". Is it more natural to regard $i$ as being a number which, when squared, is equal to $-1$, or is it more natural to regard $i$ as being some non-number thingamajig which when squared is equal to $-1$? Clearly the former.
"Higher" number systems, like quaternions, aren't really called numbers very often, for the simple fact that they are not as intimately connected with number theory and analysis in the same way that complex numbers are.
Beyond these social conventions, I can't see any other reason. The word "number" doesn't have a strict or absolute definition in pure mathematics. $mathbb{N}$, $mathbb{Z}$, $mathbb{Q}$, $mathbb{R}$ and $mathbb{C}$ are technically just sets with a certain algebraic structure.
I partially disagree with the other answers which claim that complex numbers are numbers simply by virtue of the fact that you can add and multiply them. Well, if that's the rationale, is every ring also a set of numbers?
$endgroup$
6
$begingroup$
Wikipedia calls the quaternions a number system.
$endgroup$
– JJJ
20 hours ago
5
$begingroup$
You can also tell what opinion people had of a number system based on its name, generally (it is not a coincidence that the word rational means both a number system and a way of thinking). At least the old ones.
$endgroup$
– PyRulez
18 hours ago
$begingroup$
Agreed; the use of the word number is definitely a matter of convention. As for opinions; the use of the word 'real' numbers is regarded as an incredibly triggering piece of propaganda by physical finitists...
$endgroup$
– Eelco Hoogendoorn
12 hours ago
2
$begingroup$
@PyRulez I would have expected that "rational" comes from "ratio", not from "ration".
$endgroup$
– Thern
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Thern The English words "ratio", "rational" and "reason" all come from the same Latin root "ratio", meaning "reckoning" or "reasoning"
$endgroup$
– David Richerby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
They're called "numbers" for historical reasons, since the motivation in the development of the complex numbers was solving polynomial equations. They were viewed as natural extensions of the real numbers. It's somehow quite natural and satisfying to say "every polynomial equation can be solved by some (complex) number". Is it more natural to regard $i$ as being a number which, when squared, is equal to $-1$, or is it more natural to regard $i$ as being some non-number thingamajig which when squared is equal to $-1$? Clearly the former.
"Higher" number systems, like quaternions, aren't really called numbers very often, for the simple fact that they are not as intimately connected with number theory and analysis in the same way that complex numbers are.
Beyond these social conventions, I can't see any other reason. The word "number" doesn't have a strict or absolute definition in pure mathematics. $mathbb{N}$, $mathbb{Z}$, $mathbb{Q}$, $mathbb{R}$ and $mathbb{C}$ are technically just sets with a certain algebraic structure.
I partially disagree with the other answers which claim that complex numbers are numbers simply by virtue of the fact that you can add and multiply them. Well, if that's the rationale, is every ring also a set of numbers?
$endgroup$
They're called "numbers" for historical reasons, since the motivation in the development of the complex numbers was solving polynomial equations. They were viewed as natural extensions of the real numbers. It's somehow quite natural and satisfying to say "every polynomial equation can be solved by some (complex) number". Is it more natural to regard $i$ as being a number which, when squared, is equal to $-1$, or is it more natural to regard $i$ as being some non-number thingamajig which when squared is equal to $-1$? Clearly the former.
"Higher" number systems, like quaternions, aren't really called numbers very often, for the simple fact that they are not as intimately connected with number theory and analysis in the same way that complex numbers are.
Beyond these social conventions, I can't see any other reason. The word "number" doesn't have a strict or absolute definition in pure mathematics. $mathbb{N}$, $mathbb{Z}$, $mathbb{Q}$, $mathbb{R}$ and $mathbb{C}$ are technically just sets with a certain algebraic structure.
I partially disagree with the other answers which claim that complex numbers are numbers simply by virtue of the fact that you can add and multiply them. Well, if that's the rationale, is every ring also a set of numbers?
edited 21 hours ago
answered yesterday
MathematicsStudent1122MathematicsStudent1122
8,92622668
8,92622668
6
$begingroup$
Wikipedia calls the quaternions a number system.
$endgroup$
– JJJ
20 hours ago
5
$begingroup$
You can also tell what opinion people had of a number system based on its name, generally (it is not a coincidence that the word rational means both a number system and a way of thinking). At least the old ones.
$endgroup$
– PyRulez
18 hours ago
$begingroup$
Agreed; the use of the word number is definitely a matter of convention. As for opinions; the use of the word 'real' numbers is regarded as an incredibly triggering piece of propaganda by physical finitists...
$endgroup$
– Eelco Hoogendoorn
12 hours ago
2
$begingroup$
@PyRulez I would have expected that "rational" comes from "ratio", not from "ration".
$endgroup$
– Thern
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Thern The English words "ratio", "rational" and "reason" all come from the same Latin root "ratio", meaning "reckoning" or "reasoning"
$endgroup$
– David Richerby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
6
$begingroup$
Wikipedia calls the quaternions a number system.
$endgroup$
– JJJ
20 hours ago
5
$begingroup$
You can also tell what opinion people had of a number system based on its name, generally (it is not a coincidence that the word rational means both a number system and a way of thinking). At least the old ones.
$endgroup$
– PyRulez
18 hours ago
$begingroup$
Agreed; the use of the word number is definitely a matter of convention. As for opinions; the use of the word 'real' numbers is regarded as an incredibly triggering piece of propaganda by physical finitists...
$endgroup$
– Eelco Hoogendoorn
12 hours ago
2
$begingroup$
@PyRulez I would have expected that "rational" comes from "ratio", not from "ration".
$endgroup$
– Thern
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Thern The English words "ratio", "rational" and "reason" all come from the same Latin root "ratio", meaning "reckoning" or "reasoning"
$endgroup$
– David Richerby
4 hours ago
6
6
$begingroup$
Wikipedia calls the quaternions a number system.
$endgroup$
– JJJ
20 hours ago
$begingroup$
Wikipedia calls the quaternions a number system.
$endgroup$
– JJJ
20 hours ago
5
5
$begingroup$
You can also tell what opinion people had of a number system based on its name, generally (it is not a coincidence that the word rational means both a number system and a way of thinking). At least the old ones.
$endgroup$
– PyRulez
18 hours ago
$begingroup$
You can also tell what opinion people had of a number system based on its name, generally (it is not a coincidence that the word rational means both a number system and a way of thinking). At least the old ones.
$endgroup$
– PyRulez
18 hours ago
$begingroup$
Agreed; the use of the word number is definitely a matter of convention. As for opinions; the use of the word 'real' numbers is regarded as an incredibly triggering piece of propaganda by physical finitists...
$endgroup$
– Eelco Hoogendoorn
12 hours ago
$begingroup$
Agreed; the use of the word number is definitely a matter of convention. As for opinions; the use of the word 'real' numbers is regarded as an incredibly triggering piece of propaganda by physical finitists...
$endgroup$
– Eelco Hoogendoorn
12 hours ago
2
2
$begingroup$
@PyRulez I would have expected that "rational" comes from "ratio", not from "ration".
$endgroup$
– Thern
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@PyRulez I would have expected that "rational" comes from "ratio", not from "ration".
$endgroup$
– Thern
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Thern The English words "ratio", "rational" and "reason" all come from the same Latin root "ratio", meaning "reckoning" or "reasoning"
$endgroup$
– David Richerby
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Thern The English words "ratio", "rational" and "reason" all come from the same Latin root "ratio", meaning "reckoning" or "reasoning"
$endgroup$
– David Richerby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The two fundamental operations for numbers are "addition" and "multiplication" which obey very nice "laws" of arithmetic. Taking powers is also important. You can do all of those things with complex numbers. You can add two vectors but the "dot" product of two vectors is not a vector and the "cross" product of two vectors does not satisfy the "nice laws". Neither the dot product nor the cross product of vectors can be used to define powers.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
So Quaternions which have Non commutativity multiplication would also be considered as non numbers?
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
5
$begingroup$
That's a good point- though I have never liked quaternions! Multiplication of quaternions is not commutative but it is associative which allows powers. That's what I was really thinking of.
$endgroup$
– user247327
yesterday
4
$begingroup$
You can also add and multiply matrices, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a matrix a "number".
$endgroup$
– Hong Ooi
22 hours ago
7
$begingroup$
@user247327: It's worth pointing out that IEEE 754 floating point numbers are non-associative, closed under division, non-reflexive (i.e. they violate $forall a:a = a$), non-substitutable (i.e. numbers which are "equal" cannot always be substituted for one another in expressions or equations), and also the most widely used approximation of the reals in practical computing applications.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
22 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
@Todd Sewell - I think this may relate to positive and negative zero. Positive and negative zero are equal, yet if you divide something by one or the other you may get positive or negative infinity.
$endgroup$
– Hammerite
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
The two fundamental operations for numbers are "addition" and "multiplication" which obey very nice "laws" of arithmetic. Taking powers is also important. You can do all of those things with complex numbers. You can add two vectors but the "dot" product of two vectors is not a vector and the "cross" product of two vectors does not satisfy the "nice laws". Neither the dot product nor the cross product of vectors can be used to define powers.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
So Quaternions which have Non commutativity multiplication would also be considered as non numbers?
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
5
$begingroup$
That's a good point- though I have never liked quaternions! Multiplication of quaternions is not commutative but it is associative which allows powers. That's what I was really thinking of.
$endgroup$
– user247327
yesterday
4
$begingroup$
You can also add and multiply matrices, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a matrix a "number".
$endgroup$
– Hong Ooi
22 hours ago
7
$begingroup$
@user247327: It's worth pointing out that IEEE 754 floating point numbers are non-associative, closed under division, non-reflexive (i.e. they violate $forall a:a = a$), non-substitutable (i.e. numbers which are "equal" cannot always be substituted for one another in expressions or equations), and also the most widely used approximation of the reals in practical computing applications.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
22 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
@Todd Sewell - I think this may relate to positive and negative zero. Positive and negative zero are equal, yet if you divide something by one or the other you may get positive or negative infinity.
$endgroup$
– Hammerite
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
The two fundamental operations for numbers are "addition" and "multiplication" which obey very nice "laws" of arithmetic. Taking powers is also important. You can do all of those things with complex numbers. You can add two vectors but the "dot" product of two vectors is not a vector and the "cross" product of two vectors does not satisfy the "nice laws". Neither the dot product nor the cross product of vectors can be used to define powers.
$endgroup$
The two fundamental operations for numbers are "addition" and "multiplication" which obey very nice "laws" of arithmetic. Taking powers is also important. You can do all of those things with complex numbers. You can add two vectors but the "dot" product of two vectors is not a vector and the "cross" product of two vectors does not satisfy the "nice laws". Neither the dot product nor the cross product of vectors can be used to define powers.
answered yesterday
user247327user247327
11.4k1516
11.4k1516
$begingroup$
So Quaternions which have Non commutativity multiplication would also be considered as non numbers?
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
5
$begingroup$
That's a good point- though I have never liked quaternions! Multiplication of quaternions is not commutative but it is associative which allows powers. That's what I was really thinking of.
$endgroup$
– user247327
yesterday
4
$begingroup$
You can also add and multiply matrices, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a matrix a "number".
$endgroup$
– Hong Ooi
22 hours ago
7
$begingroup$
@user247327: It's worth pointing out that IEEE 754 floating point numbers are non-associative, closed under division, non-reflexive (i.e. they violate $forall a:a = a$), non-substitutable (i.e. numbers which are "equal" cannot always be substituted for one another in expressions or equations), and also the most widely used approximation of the reals in practical computing applications.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
22 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
@Todd Sewell - I think this may relate to positive and negative zero. Positive and negative zero are equal, yet if you divide something by one or the other you may get positive or negative infinity.
$endgroup$
– Hammerite
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
So Quaternions which have Non commutativity multiplication would also be considered as non numbers?
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
5
$begingroup$
That's a good point- though I have never liked quaternions! Multiplication of quaternions is not commutative but it is associative which allows powers. That's what I was really thinking of.
$endgroup$
– user247327
yesterday
4
$begingroup$
You can also add and multiply matrices, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a matrix a "number".
$endgroup$
– Hong Ooi
22 hours ago
7
$begingroup$
@user247327: It's worth pointing out that IEEE 754 floating point numbers are non-associative, closed under division, non-reflexive (i.e. they violate $forall a:a = a$), non-substitutable (i.e. numbers which are "equal" cannot always be substituted for one another in expressions or equations), and also the most widely used approximation of the reals in practical computing applications.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
22 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
@Todd Sewell - I think this may relate to positive and negative zero. Positive and negative zero are equal, yet if you divide something by one or the other you may get positive or negative infinity.
$endgroup$
– Hammerite
11 hours ago
$begingroup$
So Quaternions which have Non commutativity multiplication would also be considered as non numbers?
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
$begingroup$
So Quaternions which have Non commutativity multiplication would also be considered as non numbers?
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
5
5
$begingroup$
That's a good point- though I have never liked quaternions! Multiplication of quaternions is not commutative but it is associative which allows powers. That's what I was really thinking of.
$endgroup$
– user247327
yesterday
$begingroup$
That's a good point- though I have never liked quaternions! Multiplication of quaternions is not commutative but it is associative which allows powers. That's what I was really thinking of.
$endgroup$
– user247327
yesterday
4
4
$begingroup$
You can also add and multiply matrices, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a matrix a "number".
$endgroup$
– Hong Ooi
22 hours ago
$begingroup$
You can also add and multiply matrices, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone call a matrix a "number".
$endgroup$
– Hong Ooi
22 hours ago
7
7
$begingroup$
@user247327: It's worth pointing out that IEEE 754 floating point numbers are non-associative, closed under division, non-reflexive (i.e. they violate $forall a:a = a$), non-substitutable (i.e. numbers which are "equal" cannot always be substituted for one another in expressions or equations), and also the most widely used approximation of the reals in practical computing applications.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
22 hours ago
$begingroup$
@user247327: It's worth pointing out that IEEE 754 floating point numbers are non-associative, closed under division, non-reflexive (i.e. they violate $forall a:a = a$), non-substitutable (i.e. numbers which are "equal" cannot always be substituted for one another in expressions or equations), and also the most widely used approximation of the reals in practical computing applications.
$endgroup$
– Kevin
22 hours ago
3
3
$begingroup$
@Todd Sewell - I think this may relate to positive and negative zero. Positive and negative zero are equal, yet if you divide something by one or the other you may get positive or negative infinity.
$endgroup$
– Hammerite
11 hours ago
$begingroup$
@Todd Sewell - I think this may relate to positive and negative zero. Positive and negative zero are equal, yet if you divide something by one or the other you may get positive or negative infinity.
$endgroup$
– Hammerite
11 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
Numbers appeared first when we started to count things. $1$ tree, $2$ trees, $3$ trees, and so forth. That make up the set of non-zero natural numbers: $mathbb{N}$. Afterwards, people started to "count backwards" to get $mathbb{Z}$ (I'm just kidding, you can do some research on how negative numbers appeared historically). With the urge to divide things without remainders, the set of rational numbers $mathbb{Q}$ made its way to the world. A certain idea of geometric continuity gives us $mathbb{R}$. Finally we want all equations to have a root, that's how $mathbb{C}$ comes into play.
I guess what is considered "numbers" is rather a social question. The use of $mathbb{C}$
in physics and its $2$-D representation must have given a good intuition for a large set of people to accept it's intuitive enough to be considered "numbers".
I think it's not that natural to think of $mathbb{C}$ as a $mathbb{R}$-vector space of dimension $2$, not more natural than to think of $mathbb{R}$ as an infinite-dimensional $mathbb{Q}$-vector space, nor of $mathbb{Q}$ as a non-infinitely-generated $mathbb{Z}$-module.
$endgroup$
3
$begingroup$
People do think of complex numbers as points on the number plane.
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
Thank you. I'm sorry, that final part is just a personal opinion. edited.
$endgroup$
– Leaning
yesterday
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Numbers appeared first when we started to count things. $1$ tree, $2$ trees, $3$ trees, and so forth. That make up the set of non-zero natural numbers: $mathbb{N}$. Afterwards, people started to "count backwards" to get $mathbb{Z}$ (I'm just kidding, you can do some research on how negative numbers appeared historically). With the urge to divide things without remainders, the set of rational numbers $mathbb{Q}$ made its way to the world. A certain idea of geometric continuity gives us $mathbb{R}$. Finally we want all equations to have a root, that's how $mathbb{C}$ comes into play.
I guess what is considered "numbers" is rather a social question. The use of $mathbb{C}$
in physics and its $2$-D representation must have given a good intuition for a large set of people to accept it's intuitive enough to be considered "numbers".
I think it's not that natural to think of $mathbb{C}$ as a $mathbb{R}$-vector space of dimension $2$, not more natural than to think of $mathbb{R}$ as an infinite-dimensional $mathbb{Q}$-vector space, nor of $mathbb{Q}$ as a non-infinitely-generated $mathbb{Z}$-module.
$endgroup$
3
$begingroup$
People do think of complex numbers as points on the number plane.
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
Thank you. I'm sorry, that final part is just a personal opinion. edited.
$endgroup$
– Leaning
yesterday
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Numbers appeared first when we started to count things. $1$ tree, $2$ trees, $3$ trees, and so forth. That make up the set of non-zero natural numbers: $mathbb{N}$. Afterwards, people started to "count backwards" to get $mathbb{Z}$ (I'm just kidding, you can do some research on how negative numbers appeared historically). With the urge to divide things without remainders, the set of rational numbers $mathbb{Q}$ made its way to the world. A certain idea of geometric continuity gives us $mathbb{R}$. Finally we want all equations to have a root, that's how $mathbb{C}$ comes into play.
I guess what is considered "numbers" is rather a social question. The use of $mathbb{C}$
in physics and its $2$-D representation must have given a good intuition for a large set of people to accept it's intuitive enough to be considered "numbers".
I think it's not that natural to think of $mathbb{C}$ as a $mathbb{R}$-vector space of dimension $2$, not more natural than to think of $mathbb{R}$ as an infinite-dimensional $mathbb{Q}$-vector space, nor of $mathbb{Q}$ as a non-infinitely-generated $mathbb{Z}$-module.
$endgroup$
Numbers appeared first when we started to count things. $1$ tree, $2$ trees, $3$ trees, and so forth. That make up the set of non-zero natural numbers: $mathbb{N}$. Afterwards, people started to "count backwards" to get $mathbb{Z}$ (I'm just kidding, you can do some research on how negative numbers appeared historically). With the urge to divide things without remainders, the set of rational numbers $mathbb{Q}$ made its way to the world. A certain idea of geometric continuity gives us $mathbb{R}$. Finally we want all equations to have a root, that's how $mathbb{C}$ comes into play.
I guess what is considered "numbers" is rather a social question. The use of $mathbb{C}$
in physics and its $2$-D representation must have given a good intuition for a large set of people to accept it's intuitive enough to be considered "numbers".
I think it's not that natural to think of $mathbb{C}$ as a $mathbb{R}$-vector space of dimension $2$, not more natural than to think of $mathbb{R}$ as an infinite-dimensional $mathbb{Q}$-vector space, nor of $mathbb{Q}$ as a non-infinitely-generated $mathbb{Z}$-module.
edited yesterday
answered yesterday
LeaningLeaning
1,296718
1,296718
3
$begingroup$
People do think of complex numbers as points on the number plane.
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
Thank you. I'm sorry, that final part is just a personal opinion. edited.
$endgroup$
– Leaning
yesterday
add a comment |
3
$begingroup$
People do think of complex numbers as points on the number plane.
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
Thank you. I'm sorry, that final part is just a personal opinion. edited.
$endgroup$
– Leaning
yesterday
3
3
$begingroup$
People do think of complex numbers as points on the number plane.
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
$begingroup$
People do think of complex numbers as points on the number plane.
$endgroup$
– Q the Platypus
yesterday
1
1
$begingroup$
Thank you. I'm sorry, that final part is just a personal opinion. edited.
$endgroup$
– Leaning
yesterday
$begingroup$
Thank you. I'm sorry, that final part is just a personal opinion. edited.
$endgroup$
– Leaning
yesterday
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I think naming is a rather soft topic, so there may not be a hard answer. However, I think it is worth noting that complex numbers are one of the three associative real division algebras (real numbers, complex numbers, and quaternions). These are all linked by the idea that division is meaningful in those three systems.
In general, a 2 dimensional real vector cannot admit a concept of division which matches what we expect division to do. However, if said real vector defines addition and multiplication the way complex numbers do, division is a natural result of those definitions.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I think naming is a rather soft topic, so there may not be a hard answer. However, I think it is worth noting that complex numbers are one of the three associative real division algebras (real numbers, complex numbers, and quaternions). These are all linked by the idea that division is meaningful in those three systems.
In general, a 2 dimensional real vector cannot admit a concept of division which matches what we expect division to do. However, if said real vector defines addition and multiplication the way complex numbers do, division is a natural result of those definitions.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I think naming is a rather soft topic, so there may not be a hard answer. However, I think it is worth noting that complex numbers are one of the three associative real division algebras (real numbers, complex numbers, and quaternions). These are all linked by the idea that division is meaningful in those three systems.
In general, a 2 dimensional real vector cannot admit a concept of division which matches what we expect division to do. However, if said real vector defines addition and multiplication the way complex numbers do, division is a natural result of those definitions.
$endgroup$
I think naming is a rather soft topic, so there may not be a hard answer. However, I think it is worth noting that complex numbers are one of the three associative real division algebras (real numbers, complex numbers, and quaternions). These are all linked by the idea that division is meaningful in those three systems.
In general, a 2 dimensional real vector cannot admit a concept of division which matches what we expect division to do. However, if said real vector defines addition and multiplication the way complex numbers do, division is a natural result of those definitions.
answered 20 hours ago
Cort AmmonCort Ammon
2,451716
2,451716
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Both, complex numbers and vector spaces are mathematical spaces, i.e., sets equipped it with some structure, e.g., operations (such as addition or multiplication) and rules obeyed by them (such as commutativity or associativity).
Without that structure, these sets are pretty useless:
You can hardly make any interesting statements about them or connect them to reality.
For example, without any structure, the only difference between ℝ and ℝ² is how we tend to name the objects within: We can find bijective maps between them.
Of course, once we impose the usual structure onto these sets, we will note that these maps do not preserve any of it (they are not even continuous) and thus are not very relevant.
Now, for ℝ² (the space of 2-vectors) and ℂ, some structure such as addition is the same, but some isn’t, e.g., there is no equivalent to complex multiplication in ℝ².
This distinction in structure is the only relevant difference between ℝ² and ℂ.
If you define a multiplication of 2-vectors that just mirrors complex multiplication, you would just be inventing complex numbers under a different name.
So much for why it is justified to apply different labels to complex numbers and 2-vectors.
As for why we call complex numbers numbers in the first place, there’s certainly a bit of history involved (of which I know little) and number is not a mathematically defined concept anyway.
That being said, calling complex numbers numbers is not completely deviod of consistency, given that complex numbers feature most of the structural properties of other sets that we call numbers (for even more historical reasons), e.g., the vast majority of things you can do with real numbers, you can also do with complex numbers.
This does not hold for 2-vectors.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Both, complex numbers and vector spaces are mathematical spaces, i.e., sets equipped it with some structure, e.g., operations (such as addition or multiplication) and rules obeyed by them (such as commutativity or associativity).
Without that structure, these sets are pretty useless:
You can hardly make any interesting statements about them or connect them to reality.
For example, without any structure, the only difference between ℝ and ℝ² is how we tend to name the objects within: We can find bijective maps between them.
Of course, once we impose the usual structure onto these sets, we will note that these maps do not preserve any of it (they are not even continuous) and thus are not very relevant.
Now, for ℝ² (the space of 2-vectors) and ℂ, some structure such as addition is the same, but some isn’t, e.g., there is no equivalent to complex multiplication in ℝ².
This distinction in structure is the only relevant difference between ℝ² and ℂ.
If you define a multiplication of 2-vectors that just mirrors complex multiplication, you would just be inventing complex numbers under a different name.
So much for why it is justified to apply different labels to complex numbers and 2-vectors.
As for why we call complex numbers numbers in the first place, there’s certainly a bit of history involved (of which I know little) and number is not a mathematically defined concept anyway.
That being said, calling complex numbers numbers is not completely deviod of consistency, given that complex numbers feature most of the structural properties of other sets that we call numbers (for even more historical reasons), e.g., the vast majority of things you can do with real numbers, you can also do with complex numbers.
This does not hold for 2-vectors.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Both, complex numbers and vector spaces are mathematical spaces, i.e., sets equipped it with some structure, e.g., operations (such as addition or multiplication) and rules obeyed by them (such as commutativity or associativity).
Without that structure, these sets are pretty useless:
You can hardly make any interesting statements about them or connect them to reality.
For example, without any structure, the only difference between ℝ and ℝ² is how we tend to name the objects within: We can find bijective maps between them.
Of course, once we impose the usual structure onto these sets, we will note that these maps do not preserve any of it (they are not even continuous) and thus are not very relevant.
Now, for ℝ² (the space of 2-vectors) and ℂ, some structure such as addition is the same, but some isn’t, e.g., there is no equivalent to complex multiplication in ℝ².
This distinction in structure is the only relevant difference between ℝ² and ℂ.
If you define a multiplication of 2-vectors that just mirrors complex multiplication, you would just be inventing complex numbers under a different name.
So much for why it is justified to apply different labels to complex numbers and 2-vectors.
As for why we call complex numbers numbers in the first place, there’s certainly a bit of history involved (of which I know little) and number is not a mathematically defined concept anyway.
That being said, calling complex numbers numbers is not completely deviod of consistency, given that complex numbers feature most of the structural properties of other sets that we call numbers (for even more historical reasons), e.g., the vast majority of things you can do with real numbers, you can also do with complex numbers.
This does not hold for 2-vectors.
$endgroup$
Both, complex numbers and vector spaces are mathematical spaces, i.e., sets equipped it with some structure, e.g., operations (such as addition or multiplication) and rules obeyed by them (such as commutativity or associativity).
Without that structure, these sets are pretty useless:
You can hardly make any interesting statements about them or connect them to reality.
For example, without any structure, the only difference between ℝ and ℝ² is how we tend to name the objects within: We can find bijective maps between them.
Of course, once we impose the usual structure onto these sets, we will note that these maps do not preserve any of it (they are not even continuous) and thus are not very relevant.
Now, for ℝ² (the space of 2-vectors) and ℂ, some structure such as addition is the same, but some isn’t, e.g., there is no equivalent to complex multiplication in ℝ².
This distinction in structure is the only relevant difference between ℝ² and ℂ.
If you define a multiplication of 2-vectors that just mirrors complex multiplication, you would just be inventing complex numbers under a different name.
So much for why it is justified to apply different labels to complex numbers and 2-vectors.
As for why we call complex numbers numbers in the first place, there’s certainly a bit of history involved (of which I know little) and number is not a mathematically defined concept anyway.
That being said, calling complex numbers numbers is not completely deviod of consistency, given that complex numbers feature most of the structural properties of other sets that we call numbers (for even more historical reasons), e.g., the vast majority of things you can do with real numbers, you can also do with complex numbers.
This does not hold for 2-vectors.
answered 17 hours ago
WrzlprmftWrzlprmft
3,13111334
3,13111334
add a comment |
add a comment |
$begingroup$
[Possibly not a direct answer, but]
Notice ordinal sum and product are not commutative, that full distributivity of multiplication over addition and of exponentiation over product fails, and they're still regarded as numbers. OTOH, the corresponding operations for vector spaces are well-behaved (probably because they do become cardinal-like once you identify the isomorphic ones) and yet we don't tend to think of or to refer to them as numbers.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
[Possibly not a direct answer, but]
Notice ordinal sum and product are not commutative, that full distributivity of multiplication over addition and of exponentiation over product fails, and they're still regarded as numbers. OTOH, the corresponding operations for vector spaces are well-behaved (probably because they do become cardinal-like once you identify the isomorphic ones) and yet we don't tend to think of or to refer to them as numbers.
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
[Possibly not a direct answer, but]
Notice ordinal sum and product are not commutative, that full distributivity of multiplication over addition and of exponentiation over product fails, and they're still regarded as numbers. OTOH, the corresponding operations for vector spaces are well-behaved (probably because they do become cardinal-like once you identify the isomorphic ones) and yet we don't tend to think of or to refer to them as numbers.
$endgroup$
[Possibly not a direct answer, but]
Notice ordinal sum and product are not commutative, that full distributivity of multiplication over addition and of exponentiation over product fails, and they're still regarded as numbers. OTOH, the corresponding operations for vector spaces are well-behaved (probably because they do become cardinal-like once you identify the isomorphic ones) and yet we don't tend to think of or to refer to them as numbers.
answered 9 hours ago
alkchfalkchf
47337
47337
add a comment |
add a comment |
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10
$begingroup$
Usually, the difference would be whether you're in a context where complex multiplication would be interesting. It's kind of like the question: is $mathbb{Z}$ a group or a ring? It depends on which operations are of interest for the question you're studying.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
12
$begingroup$
What's a "number" anyway?
$endgroup$
– Asaf Karagila♦
yesterday
12
$begingroup$
@QthePlatypus: No, that's exactly the point. The question of whether the set $mathbb{R}^2$ of pairs of real numbers should be considered as the set of complex numbers, or as a set of vectors, depends on which operations you wish to equip that set with.
$endgroup$
– Nate Eldredge
yesterday
7
$begingroup$
I think the correct question were: is there a rigorous definition of the object "number" (without further characteristics such as "integer", "real", "complex" etc.)?
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday
1
$begingroup$
Some considerations can be found here: math.stackexchange.com/q/865409
$endgroup$
– user
yesterday