The famous Irish mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865) is generally regarded as having been an unhappily married alcoholic. The aim of this essay is to show that, contrary to this widespread belief, Hamilton had a good marriage, that in fact large parts of his marriage were fairly happy. It is discussed where the idea of his marriage as having been an unhappy one came from, and it is shown that according to current standards he was by no means an alcoholic.

Prize-winning study traces the rise of the vector concept from the discovery of complex numbers through the systems of hypercomplex numbers to the final acceptance around 1910 of the modern system of vector analysis.

This fourth and final volume of The Collected Papers of Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805 1865) contains three previously unpublished and important manuscripts, namely Systems of Rays and two lengthy letters to de Morgan (on definite integrals) and Hart (on anharmonic coordinates). In addition the volume contains reprinted papers on geometry, analysis, astronomy, probability and finite differences, as well as a collection of papers on various topics. A cumulative index for all three volumes is provided, as well as a CD containing all four volumes of the Collected Papers.

Ingenious Ireland takes readers on a magnificent tour of the country's natural wonders, clever inventions, and historic sites. Richly illustrated and meticulously compiled, Ingenious Ireland introduces readers to the complete history, culture, and landscape of all thirty-two Irish counties. Mary Mulvihill unearths Ireland's treasures and divulges her secrets, such as the oldest fossil footprints in the Northern hemisphere, the advent of railways, the invention of milk of magnesia, and why the shamrock is a sham. Fascinating and comprehensive, Ingenious Ireland unravels the mysteries and marvels of this remarkable country.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

Catherine Disney (1800-1853) is known as the ‘lost love’ of the Irish mathematician Sir William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865), but about herself little is known. Based on what Hamilton wrote about her and scraps of information which were found on various places, extended with conclusions which could be drawn from known events, this is a sketch of how she fell in love with Hamilton in 1824, what the motives may have been for her family to force her to marry the reverend William Barlow (1792-1871), what may have triggered her suicide attempt in 1848 after which she did not live with Barlow any more, and how she spoke with Hamilton shortly before she died. In these two interviews she could finally tell Hamilton that she had also loved him. In the last chapters it is discussed how Catherine’s unhappiness seems to have influenced her eldest son, James Barlow (1826-1913), and through him also her granddaughter Jane Barlow (1856-1917). This sketch is supplementary to the essay A Victorian Marriage : Sir William Rowan Hamilton. But being self-contained, it can also be read on its own.

If you have ever wondered what quaternions are — then look no further, John Vince will show you how simple and useful they are. This 2nd edition has been completely revised and includes extra detail on the invention of quaternions, a complete review of the text and equations, all figures are in colour, extra worked examples, an expanded index, and a bibliography arranged for each chapter. Quaternions for Computer Graphics includes chapters on number sets and algebra, imaginary and complex numbers, the complex plane, rotation transforms, and a comprehensive description of quaternions in the context of rotation. The book will appeal to students of computer graphics, computer science and mathematics, as well as programmers, researchers, academics and professional practitioners interested in learning about quaternions. John Vince explains in an easy-to-understand language, with the aid of useful figures, how quaternions emerged, gave birth to modern vector analysis, disappeared, and reemerged to be adopted by the flight simulation industry and computer graphics. This book will give you the confidence to use quaternions within your every-day mathematics, and explore more advanced texts.