Dr. Slick:

[snip]
What a pity - it never is.

Makes for a good enough approximation for most simulations, though.
:
:
Slick
[snip]

Heh, heh...

No it's not!

Unless perhaps the only use you ever make of transmission line dynamics
Engineering
is for simple narrow band ham radio problems!

Try solving some real [i.e. broadband] problems where Zo is not real, not
even close, and
you'll see how important it is to use the whole danged complex expression.

rho = (Z - R)/(Z + R) is a complex function as are both the driving point
impedances the
load termination Z and the reference impedance of the transmission line R.

rho is complex! Get over it.

--
Peter K1PO
Indialantic By-the-Sea, FL.