Re: [math-fun] The Axiom of Choice for roots of z^2 + 1

On Nov 23, 2007 1:53 PM, Dan Asimov <dasimov@earthlink.net> wrote:

I've often wondered if it is somehow a mistake for mathematics to distinguish between i and -i.

There is absolutely no mathematical way to distinguish between the two. Perhaps they should only be referred to as a pair, and never one at a time?

Ok, I'll show my ignorance here. How can we distinguish between 1 and -1 and not be able to distinguish between i and -i? Isn't the simple fact that they're distinct numbers (or distinct points in the complex plane) enough? What am I missing? Kerry