Difference between revisions of "Argument"
From Encyclopedia of Mathematics
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The argument of a function is the variable (also called the independent variable) on which the value of the function depends. | The argument of a function is the variable (also called the independent variable) on which the value of the function depends. | ||
| − | The argument of a complex number $z=x+iy=r(\cos\phi+i\sin\phi)$, represented in the plane by the point with coordinates $x$ and $y$, is the angle $\phi$ of the radius vector $r$ of this point with the $x$-axis. | + | The argument of a complex number $z=x+iy=r(\cos\phi+i\sin\phi)$, represented in the plane by the point with coordinates $x$ and $y$, is the angle $\phi$ of the radius vector $r$ of this point with the $x$-axis. A ''branch'' of the argument is a specification of the range of values for $\phi$, for example, $0 \le \phi < 2\pi$ or $-\pi < \phi \le \pi$. |
Latest revision as of 11:49, 1 January 2016
The argument of a function is the variable (also called the independent variable) on which the value of the function depends.
The argument of a complex number $z=x+iy=r(\cos\phi+i\sin\phi)$, represented in the plane by the point with coordinates $x$ and $y$, is the angle $\phi$ of the radius vector $r$ of this point with the $x$-axis. A branch of the argument is a specification of the range of values for $\phi$, for example, $0 \le \phi < 2\pi$ or $-\pi < \phi \le \pi$.
How to Cite This Entry:
Argument. Encyclopedia of Mathematics. URL: http://encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php?title=Argument&oldid=37218
Argument. Encyclopedia of Mathematics. URL: http://encyclopediaofmath.org/index.php?title=Argument&oldid=37218