[REQ] Quaternion Mathematics eBook

[Mr.Cool]

Hello all,

Does anyone have an ebook on quaternion mathematics?

thanks,
Mr.Cool

 

[flatulent]

I think that this was the name given by Oliver Heaviside to his precursor to the transforms used commonly today. You may need to look for a history book and not a mathematical book. He was more of a mathematical experimentalist than a theorist and this irritated the stuffed shirts at Cambridge that he would have more mathematical success than them. In the 80 or so years since his work a theoretical basis has been used to confirm his mathematical procedures.

 

[Mr.Cool]

exactly, thanks for the reply.

today quaternions are used in computer animation algorithms to describe motion & translation of 3D objects.

100 years ago, an irish mathmetician Hamilton invented quaternions and then Heaviside & Maxwell applied them to electrodynamics. in fact, if you read maxwell's treaty on electricity his famous "4 equations" (vector calculus) are actually more like 20, and they are in quaternion form!!

so why is this important?

quaternions are a higher order mathematics that takes into account the 2 lower forms (tensors & vectors). you can "read into" the equation more if you have a higher form of math. you might learn something startling, mostly forgotten and/or missed by today's leading electrodynamics experts... or not.

Mr.Cool

 

[millerdr]

This may not help much but try https://mathworld.wolfram.com and search for quaternion. Hope that you are boned up on linear algebra. This form of vector manipulation is used today in almost any navigation system you put together. This math allows our ICBM missiles to hit their mark.

 

[Mr.Cool]

you are right about the missiles. this form of math allows for rotation by simple multiplication, so no singularities formed (no divide by zero) and so the software guides the missile flawlessly.

even still, it is exceedingly difficult to find a good ebook on the subject!!

if you find one, please PM me. thx

Mr.Cool