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| 1 | +# Euler’s identity |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +In mathematics, **Euler’s identity** (also known as _Euler’s |
| 4 | +equation_) is the equality |
| 5 | + |
| 6 | +$$ e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0 $$ |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +where |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +- $e$ is Euler's number, the base of natural logarithms, |
| 11 | +- $i$ is the imaginary unit, which by definition satisfies $i^2 = -1$, |
| 12 | + and |
| 13 | +- $\pi$ is pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its |
| 14 | + diameter. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +Euler’s identity is named after the Swiss mathematician Leonhard |
| 17 | +Euler. It is a special case of Euler’s formula $e^{ix} = \cos x + |
| 18 | +i\sin x$ when evaluated for $x=\pi$. Euler's identity is considered an |
| 19 | +exemplar of mathematical beauty, as it shows a profound connection |
| 20 | +between the most fundamental numbers in mathematics. In addition, it |
| 21 | +is directly used in a proof that $\pi$ is transcendental, which |
| 22 | +implies the impossibility of squaring the circle. |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +## Imaginary exponents |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +Euler’s identity asserts that $e^{i\pi}$ is equal to $-1$. The |
| 27 | +expression $e^{i}$ is a special case of the expression $e^z$, where |
| 28 | +$z$ is any complex number. In general, $e^z$ is defined for complex |
| 29 | +$z$ by extending one of the definitions of the exponential function |
| 30 | +from real exponents to complex exponents. For example, one common |
| 31 | +definition is: |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +$$ |
| 34 | +e^z = \lim_{n\to\infty} \left(1 + \frac{z}{n}\right)^n. |
| 35 | +$$ |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +Euler’s identity therefore states that the limit, as $n$ approaches |
| 38 | +infinity, of $\left(1 + \frac{i \pi}{n}\right)^n$ is equal to $-1$. |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +Euler’s identity is a special case of Euler’s formula, which states |
| 41 | +that for any real number $x$, |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +$$ e^{ix} = \cos x + i\sin x $$ |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +where the inputs of the trigonometric functions sine and cosine are |
| 46 | +given in radians. |
| 47 | + |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +In particular, when $x = \pi$, |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +$$ |
| 53 | +e^{i\pi} = \cos \pi + i \sin \pi. |
| 54 | +$$ |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +Since |
| 57 | +$$ \cos \pi = -1 $$ |
| 58 | +and |
| 59 | +$$ \sin \pi = 0 $$ |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +it follows that |
| 62 | +$$ e^{i\pi} = -1 + 0i, $$ |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +which yields Euler's identity: |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +$$ e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0. $$ |
| 67 | + |
| 68 | +## Generalizations |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +Euler’s identity is also a special case of the more general identity |
| 71 | +that the $n$th roots of unity, for $n > 1$, add up to $0$: |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +$$ |
| 74 | +\sum_{k=0}^{n-1} e^{2\pi i\frac{k}{n}} = 0 . |
| 75 | +$$ |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +Euler’s identity is the case where $n = 2$. |
| 78 | + |
| 79 | +A similar identity also applies to quaternion exponential: let $\left\{i, j, |
| 80 | +k\right\}$ be the basis quaternions; then, |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +$$ |
| 83 | +e^{\frac{1}{\sqrt{3}} (i \pm j \pm k) \pi} + 1 = 0 . |
| 84 | +$$ |
| 85 | + |
| 86 | +More generally, let q be a quaternion with a zero real part and a norm |
| 87 | +equal to $1$; that is, $q = ai + bj + ck$, with $a^2 + b^2 + c^2 = |
| 88 | +1$. Then one has |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +$$ |
| 91 | +e^{q \pi} + 1 = 0 . |
| 92 | +$$ |
| 93 | + |
| 94 | +The same formula applies to octonions, with a zero real part and a |
| 95 | +norm equal to $1$. These formulas are a direct generalization of |
| 96 | +Euler’s identity, since $i$ and $-i$ are the only complex numbers with |
| 97 | +a zero real part and a norm (absolute value) equal to $1$. |
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