Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

"Quaternions are members of a noncommutative division algebra first invented by William Rowan Hamilton. They form an interesting algebra where each object contains 4 scalar variables, instead of Euler angles, which is useful to overcome the gimbal lock phenomenon when treating the rotation of objects. This book is about the mathematical basics and applications of quaternions. The first four chapters mainly concerns the mathematical theories, while the latter three chapters are related with three application aspects. It is expected to provide useful clues for researchers and engineers in the related area. In detail, this book is organized as follows: In Chapter 1, mathematical basics including the quaternion algebra and operations with quaternions, as well as the relationships of quaternions with other mathematical parameters and representations are demonstrated. In Chapter 2, how quaternions are formulated in Clifford Algebra, how it is used in explaining rotation group in symplectic vector space and parallel transformation in holonomic dynamics are presented. In Chapter 3, the wave equation for a spin 3/2 particle, described by 16-component vector-bispinor, is investigated in spherical coordinates. In Chapter 4, hyperbolic Lobachevsky and spherical Riemann models, parameterized coordinates with spherical and cylindric symmetry are studied. In Chapter 5, ship hydrodynamics with allowance of trim and sinkage is investigated and validated with experiments. In Chapter 6, the ballast flying phenomenon based on Discrete Discontinuous Analysis is presented. In Chapter 7, a numerical study is proposed to analyze the effect of the caisson sliding subjected to a hydrodynamic loading in the stability of the rear side of the rubble mound breakwater"--

Excerpt from Introduction to Quaternions: With Numerous Examples A third reason, had such been necessary, would have pre sented itself in the fact that I have never considered with the necessary care those metaphysical questions connected with the growth and development of mathematical ideas, to which my late venerated teacher paid such particular attention. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.