Multicomplex number

In mathematics, the multicomplex number systems

n

are defined inductively as follows: Let C0 be the real number system.

For every n > 0 let in be a square root of −1, that is, an imaginary unit.

n + 1

: x , y ∈

{\displaystyle \mathbb {C} _{n+1}=\lbrace z=x+yi_{n+1}:x,y\in \mathbb {C} _{n}\rbrace }

In the multicomplex number systems one also requires that

n

=

i

(commutativity).

Then

1

is the complex number system,

2

is the bicomplex number system,

is the tricomplex number system of Corrado Segre, and

is the multicomplex number system of order n. Each

forms a Banach algebra.

G. Bayley Price has written about the function theory of multicomplex systems, providing details for the bicomplex system

The multicomplex number systems are not to be confused with Clifford numbers (elements of a Clifford algebra), since Clifford's square roots of −1 anti-commute (

when m ≠ n for Clifford).

Because the multicomplex numbers have several square roots of –1 that commute, they also have zero divisors:

Any product

of two distinct multicomplex units behaves as the

of the split-complex numbers, and therefore the multicomplex numbers contain a number of copies of the split-complex number plane.

With respect to subalgebra

, k = 0, 1, ..., n − 1, the multicomplex system

is of dimension 2n − k over