TITLE: Notation For Complex Numbers
QUESTION [5 upvotes]: I have seen many different notations used for complex numbers. Does it make a difference which notation is used, or is any one notation more standard than another?
I see a+bi at http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/complex-numbers.html
I have seen $\sigma$+it on various webpages.
σ+it

REPLY [3 votes]: As far as I've seen, $z = a + ib$ is the most common with $(a, b)$ being used sometimes and $(a, 0) = a$.