The Hamiltonian, which is used in quantum physics to describe the total energy of a system, would have been a major achievement for anyone, but Hamilton also invented quaternions, which paved the way for modern vector analysis.
From the reviews: "The goal of this book is to demonstrate the use of quaternions for rotating objects in three-dimensional space, a frequent requirement in computer graphics. The target audience is computer graphics developers ... . Brief historical notes appear throughout. ... Summing Up: ... . Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners." (C. A. Gorini, Choice, Vol. 49 (8), April, 2012) "This is a neat little book on real and complex numbers as well as quaternions. ... book is devoted to the algebra of numbers and the rest covers quaternions. The section on quaternion is spiced up with their application to 3-D rotation. Pedagogically the book is well written, it is easy to follow, even a good high school student would be able to understand ... . If you are a bookworm or a book collector and like mathematical plums, this is the book for you." (Leslie P. Piegl, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1233, 2012)
Innehållsförteckning
Introduction.-Number Sets and Algebra.-Complex Numbers.-The Complex Plane.-Quaternion Algebra.-3D Rotation Transforms.-Quaternions in Space.-Conclusion.
