OT Math rant, was Re: [sdiy] DSP book recommendation wanted

[Eric Brombaugh]

On 09/25/2009 11:53 AM, Aaron Lanterman wrote:
>
> Sadly, perhaps, I don't think the e^j type of notation shows up in high
> school in the U.S. When I teach it in our sophomore signal processing
> class that is usually the first time most students have seen it.

Euler is rolling over in his grave...

Look up Euler's identity:

exp(pi i) + 1 = 0

That ties so many things together:

* mathematical constants e, pi, 1, 0
* addition, multiplication, exponentiation, identity
* sine, cosine, unit circle
* complex numbers, trig

(From a DSP standpoint - think about how nice it is that the unit circle 
maps onto the structure of two's complement numbers.)

Sometimes it's hard to believe that this is all just something a bunch 
of people made up and not the bones of the universe showing through...

Eric