"Kenneth" <kdw### [at] earthlinknet> wrote in message 
news:web.4bdee551b47a5f4dae92d9930@news.povray.org...
> He also talks about 'quaternions.'  I'm not a mathematician, but this 
> isn't the
> first time I've seen that subject mentioned.  Several months ago, I read a
> fascinating mathematics book called MATHEMATICS: THE LOSS OF CERTAINTY by 
> Morris
> Kline (published in 1980.)  It's really a book-length essay, a kind of
> philosophical discussion about the basic 'illogic' of some of modern
> mathematics. The book has practically no hard 'math' equations at all (so 
> I
> actually read it cover-to-cover!) He talks about quaternions (and the 
> earlier
> calculus) as being a kind of 'breaking point' between the pure logic of 
> previous
> maths, and more modern constructs. Definitely worth a read.
>
> Ken
>

It seems as though the application of quaternions has come-and-gone over the 
years.

This Wiki link explains things quite well. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaternion

For an actual use of quaternions, check this URL - used to create Julia 
fractals in three dimensions. This website hasn't been updated in some time 
(2002)... still interesting none-the-less. 
http://www.physcip.uni-stuttgart.de/phy11733/quat_e.html

Laurent

Post a reply to this message