Are complex numbers imaginary?

Not exactly. A complex number has the standard form a + bi, where a and b are real and i is the imaginary unit with i2 = −1. The value a is the real part and bi is the imaginary part.

When a = 0 and b ≠ 0, the complex number is called an imaginary (or purely imaginary) number, such as 3i. When b = 0, it is simply a real number. So imaginary numbers are a special case inside the broader complex-number system—not every complex number is imaginary.

Source: 3.1 Complex Numbers — OpenStax Precalculus

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