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[return to "Ask HN: What scientific phenomenon do you wish someone would explain better?"]
1. ur-wha+Nb1[view] [source] 2020-04-27 07:58:45
>>qqqqqu+(OP)
Why does quantum mechanics need complex numbers ?

Every time I read an introductory QM book / article, the complex numbers just come out of nowhere and no one bothers to explain how that makes any kind of physical sense.

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2. OkayPh+Ev1[view] [source] 2020-04-27 12:16:51
>>ur-wha+Nb1
Imaginary numbers, pretty much everywhere in physics, represent an extra dimension. e^ix results in a unit vector spinning around.
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