# \-1^(1/2) is Complex(-1^(1/2)) ==-1.0 + 0.0im?
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776
**Category:** General Usage
**Created:** [December 29, 2019, 8:34am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776 "2019-12-29T08:34:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@programista](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/programista)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2019, 8:34am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776/1 "2019-12-29T08:34:00Z")
Why Complex(-1^(1/2))== -1.0 + 0.0im ???
```julia
Version 1.3.0-rc4.1 (2019-10-15)
julia> Complex(-1^(.5))
-1.0 + 0.0im
julia> sqrt(Complex(-1))
0.0 + 1.0im
julia> Complex(-1^(1/2))
-1.0 + 0.0im
julia> 4^(1/2)
2.0
julia> 9^(1/2)
3.0
julia> Complex(-1^(1/2))
-1.0 + 0.0im
julia> sqrt(Complex(-1))
0.0 + 1.0im
```
Paul
---
### Author:  [@jling](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/jling)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2019, 8:35am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776/2 "2019-12-29T08:35:23Z")
```julia
julia> sqrt(complex(-1))
0.0 + 1.0im
julia> complex(-1)^(1/2)
0.0 + 1.0im
```
what’s inside () is evaluated first be, before you converting it by `Complex()` edit: also `^` is evaluated before `-` as mentioned below.
---
### Author:  [@baggepinnen](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/baggepinnen)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2019, 8:35am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776/3 "2019-12-29T08:35:42Z")
`^` has higher precedence than `-`
thus `-1^(1/2)=-(1^(1/2))`
---
### Author:  [@programista](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/programista)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2019, 9:08am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776/4 "2019-12-29T09:08:33Z")
> [@baggepinnen](#):
>
> (1^(1/2))
How to use it without “sqrt” ?
```julia
1.0
julia> (-1^(1/2))
-1.0
julia> Complex((-1)^(1/2))
ERROR: DomainError with -1.0:
Exponentiation yielding a complex result requires a complex argument.
Replace x^y with (x+0im)^y, Complex(x)^y, or similar.
Stacktrace:
[1] throw_exp_domainerror(::Float64) at .\math.jl:35
[2] ^ at .\math.jl:769 [inlined]
[3] ^(::Int64, ::Float64) at .\promotion.jl:345
[4] top-level scope at none:0
```
?
---
### Author:  [@baggepinnen](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/baggepinnen)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2019, 10:01am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776/5 "2019-12-29T10:01:12Z")
It says right in the error message you posted
> [@programista](#):
>
> Exponentiation yielding a complex result requires a complex argument. Replace x^y with (x+0im)^y, Complex(x)^y, or similar.
---
### Author:  [@programista](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/programista)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776/6 "2019-12-29T12:42:51Z")
> [@baggepinnen](#):
>
> (x+0im)^y
Is no to easy 🙂
```julia
julia> Complex(-1+0im)^(1/2)
6.123233995736766e-17 + 1.0im
julia> sqrt(-1+0im)
0.0 + 1.0im
julia>
```
---
### Author:  [@longemen3000](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/longemen3000)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776/7 "2019-12-29T15:03:10Z")
> [@programista](#):
>
> `julia> Complex(-1+0im)^(1/2) 6.123233995736766e-17 + 1.0im`
weird, it gives me the correct result in my computer, what version are you using?
---
### Author:  [@DNF](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/DNF)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2019, 6:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776/8 "2019-12-29T18:39:38Z")
> [@programista](#):
>
> ```julia
> julia> Complex(-1+0im)^(1/2)
> 6.123233995736766e-17 + 1.0im
>
> ```
On my computer, with Julia v1.3:
```julia
julia> Complex(-1+0im)^(1/2)
0.0 + 1.0im
```
One more thing: There is no reason to write `Complex(-1+0im)`. Just write `(-1+0im)`, this is already a complex number, no reason to convert a complex number to (the same) complex number.
---
### Author:  [@programista](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/programista)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/1-1-2-is-complex-1-1-2-1-0-0-0im/32776/9 "2019-12-29T20:18:13Z")
Ok,
> 6.123233995736766e-17 + 1.0im on version 0.6.x on 0.7 and higher is OK
> Thanks Paul |
W dniu 2019-12-29 o 16:08, Andrés Riedemann via JuliaLang pisze: