Question about Mathematics from Zamiatin.

[Helena Goscilo]

Tony, an imaginary number (and, indeed, the square foot of one is precisely
that, though mathematicians call it a complex no.) contains a real number
and a negative or empirically non-existent ('imaginary') one that is useful
to engineers and mathematicians in formulas. ​Imaginary numbers may be
rational or irrational.

Irrational numbers *cannot be expressed as a ratio (hence they're ir-*ratio
-*nal) of two integers. *Any time I teach sci-fi, and my syllabus
invariably includes Zamiatin's *My*, I explain to students that, since the
volume addresses the limits of reason, his choice of adjective emphasizes
the protagonist's enmity to the assault on reason represented by such a
number. And, incidentally, since* i *figures prominently in imaginary
number, as those who are versed in math know, the indirect reference is to
I-330, the articulate proponent of irrationality.

Does this help? Those with a more sophisticated knowledge than I can
doubtless explain it better.

Helena


On Sat, Dec 7, 2013 at 2:27 PM, Anthony Anemone <AnemoneA at newschool.edu>wrote:

> Interesting, but then is Zamiatin's usage of иррациональный an error, or
> a reflection of different usage in Russian at the beginning of the 19th
> century?
>
> Tony
>
>
> On Sat, Dec 7, 2013 at 2:18 PM, Alina Israeli <aisrael at american.edu>wrote:
>
>> No, square root of -1, know as *i * is called комплéксное число (with a
>> stress on e, unlike the regular use with a stress on o):
>> http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5_%D1%87%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE
>>
>> On Dec 7, 2013, at 12:46 PM, Anthony Anemone wrote:
>>
>> Dear colleagues,
>>
>> I'm puzzled about Zamaitin's usage of иррациональный when referring to
>> the square root of -1.  As far as I understand math terminology in English
>> (not that far!), wouldn't that be an imaginary number?  Perhaps terminology
>> in Russian is different?
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Tony
>> --
>> Tony Anemone
>> Associate Professor
>> The New School
>> 72 Fifth Ave, 702
>> New York, NY 10011
>>
>>
>>  Alina Israeli
>> Associate Professor of Russian
>> WLC, American University
>> 4400 Massachusetts Ave.
>> Washington DC 20016
>> (202) 885-2387  fax (202) 885-1076
>> aisrael at american.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Tony Anemone
> Associate Professor
> The New School
> 72 Fifth Ave, 702
> New York, NY 10011
>
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-- 
Helena Goscilo - ON LEAVE THIS YEAR (2013-2014)
Professor
DSEELC/Dept. of Slavic & East European Languages & Cultures
Affiliate Faculty in Comparative Studies, Film, Folklore, Popular Culture,
WGSS
OSU


Motto:
"It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole
book." Friedrich Nietzsche
"Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it,
as well as contributing to the need for it." Alfred Hitchcock

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