Octonions are an extension to the complex numbers, similar to quaternions. But whereas quaternions are quadruplets of real numbers, octonions are octets; and whereas in quaternions multiplication is not commutative, in octonions it isn't associative either. Octonions are useful for describing rotations in 3-dimensional space. |
Octonions are an extension to the complex numbers, similar to quaternions. But whereas quaternions are quadruplets of real numbers, octonions are octets; and whereas in quaternions multiplication is not commutative, in octonions it isn't associative either. |
Quaternions were invented by Cayley, and are hence sometimes called Cayley numbers. |
The octonions were discovered by [John T. Graves]? in 1843, and independently by [Arthur Cayley]?, who published the first paper on them in 1845. They are sometimes called Cayley numbers. External links: * [The Octonions] - an article by [John C. Baez]? /Talk |
The octonions were discovered by [John T. Graves]? in 1843, and independently by [Arthur Cayley]?, who published the first paper on them in 1845. They are sometimes called Cayley numbers.
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