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Quaternion physical quantities

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Abstract

Quaternions consist of a scalar plus a vector and result from multiplication or division of vectors by vectors. Division of vectors is equivalent to multiplication divided by a scalar. Quaternions as used here consist of the scalar product with positive sign plus the vector product with sign determined by the right-hand rule. Units are specified by the multiplication process. Trigonometric functions are quaternions with units that can satisfy Hamilton's requirements. The square of a trigonometric quaternion is a real number provided that the product of the scalar number and the vector is not commutative. Maxwell's electromagnetic equations for empty space can be represented by a single quaternion equation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

    J. Gibson Winans

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  1. J. Gibson Winans
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Winans, J.G. Quaternion physical quantities. Found Phys 7, 341–349 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00711487

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00711487

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