Arthur S Hathaway

A Primer of Quaternions Arthur S Hathaway

The Theory of Quaternions is due to Sir William Rowan Hamilton, RoyalAstronomer of Ireland, who presented his first paper on the subject to theRoyal Irish Academy in 1843. His Lectures on Quaternions were publishedin 1853, and his Elements, in 1866, shortly after his death. The Elements ofQuaternions by Tait is the accepted text-book for advanced students. The following development of the theory is prepared for average studentswith a thorough knowledge of the elements of algebra and geometry, andis believed to be a simple and elementary treatment founded directly uponthe fundamental ideas of the subject. This theory is applied in the moreadvanced examples to develop the principal formulas of trigonometry andsolid analytical geometry, and the general properties and classification ofsurfaces of second order.