This interesting book is very easy to read and understand. While the topics are not new, they are explained in lucid terms for anyone who is interested in sophisticated mathematics. My only quarrel concerns the title: the included mathematics is not “imaginary.” The topics are very real, and I think the book would be of significant interest to many people, not just computer scientists.

After an introductory chapter, there is a very nice treatment of complex number basics. Chapter 2 concludes with a series of completely worked examples in the covered areas. I was very impressed with this feature of the text, which is repeated throughout the book. Chapter 3 covers matrix algebra, while 4 and 5 provide detailed coverage of quaternions and octonians, two features seldom seen in books of this type.

Chapters 6 and 7 cover geometric algebra and trigonometric identities using complex numbers. The treatment is standard.

Chapters 8 and 9 will be of special importance to computer scientists, physicists, and applied mathematicians alike. The material deals with combining waves using complex numbers and circuit analysis using complex numbers.

Chapter 10 sets the stage for chapter 11’s sophisticated treatment of rotating vectors, while chapters 12 and 13 deal with complex numbers, the Riemann hypothesis, and the Mandelbrot set.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I must repeat my endorsement for all college professors out there: you may never see another text with so many worked examples--and meaningful examples at that; they alone are worth the price of the book.