Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In mathematics, quaternions are a non-commutative number system that extends the complex numbers.Quaternions and their applications to rotations were first described in print by Olinde Rodrigues in all but name in 1840, [1] but independently discovered by Irish mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton in 1843 and applied to mechanics in three-dimensional space.
Pages in category "Historical treatment of quaternions" The following 14 pages are in this category, out of 14 total. This list may not reflect recent changes .
A quaternion of the form a + 0 i + 0 j + 0 k, where a is a real number, is called scalar, and a quaternion of the form 0 + b i + c j + d k, where b, c, and d are real numbers, and at least one of b, c, or d is nonzero, is called a vector quaternion. If a + b i + c j + d k is any quaternion, then a is called its scalar part and b i + c j + d k ...
This article describes Hamilton's original treatment of quaternions, using his notation and terms. Hamilton's treatment is more geometric than the modern approach, which emphasizes quaternions' algebraic properties. Mathematically, quaternions discussed differ from the modern definition only by the terminology which is used.
It has been argued that the discovery of the quaternions, by revealing deep mathematical structures that did not obey the commutative law, allowed mathematicians to create new systems unbound by the rules of ordinary arithmetic. It follows that the climax of the Hamilton walk at Broom Bridge marks the exact spot where modern algebra was born. [5]
A plaque under the Broom Bridge, associated with the discovery of quaternions, was unveiled by Éamon de Valera on 13 November 1958. [ 52 ] [ 53 ] Since 1989, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth , has organised a pilgrimage called the Hamilton Walk , in which mathematicians take a walk from Dunsink Observatory to the bridge, where no ...
A type of bacteria that causes dental plaque may be behind a treatment-resistant form of colorectal cancer, a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature found.. The particular bacterium ...
Plaque on Broome Bridge It is famous for being the location where Sir William Rowan Hamilton first wrote down the fundamental formula for quaternions on 16 October 1843, which is to this day commemorated by a stone plaque on the northwest corner of the underside of the bridge.