The product between quaternion

In summary, the basic definition of quaternions is i^2 = j^2 = k^2 = ijk = -1, with additional equalities such as ij = k, jk = i, and so on. The product of two quaternions is still a quaternion and can be defined using the cross and dot products of vectors.
  • #1
HeilPhysicsPhysics
16
0
For example:
i^2=?
j^2=?
k^2=?
ij=?
jk=?
ik=?
ijk=?
Is ij=ji?
And how to prove them?

And also,vector times vector, what is the product?
 
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  • #2
HeilPhysicsPhysics said:
For example:
i^2=?
j^2=?
k^2=?
ij=?
jk=?
ik=?
ijk=?
Is ij=ji?
And how to prove them?

And also,vector times vector, what is the product?

This is from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaternions

i2 = j2 = k2 = ijk = -1
ij = k
jk = i
ki = j
ji = -k
kj = -i
ik = -j

The first one I think is the basic definition and the rest follow from that, some of the proofs are on the wikipedia page, and what do you mean by a vector times a vector? The above equalities allow a general definition of a product of quaternions.
 
  • #3
Just like:
A=i+j+k
B=2i+3j-4k
They are both vector.
I heard that a vector times a vector become a tensor(rank two).
If ij=-k,ik=-j,jk=-i.
The product is:
(i+j+k)(2i+3j-4k)=-2-3k+4j-2k-3+4i-2j-3i+4=i+2j-5k-1
I think it is still a vector, not a tensor(rank two).
 
  • #4
The product of two quaternions is still a quaternion (and quaternions are not vectors). You did the multiplication wrong up there, if A and B are as you had then AB is -7i + 6j + k - 1.

You can define many products between vectors, for example in [itex]\mathbb{R}^3[/itex] you have the usual cross and dot products (and the dot product generalizes to other spaces of course). Those two products can be read off the result of quaternion multiplication:

[tex]<1,1,1> \times <2,3,4> = <-7,6,1>[/tex]

and

[tex]<1,1,1> \cdot <2,3,4> = 1 = -(-1).[/tex]

In general if the product of two quaternions [itex]A = a_1 i + a_2 j + a_3 k[/itex] and [itex]B = b_1 i + b_2 j + b_3 k[/itex] is [itex]AB = C = c_1 i + c_2 j + c_3 k - c_4[/itex], then [itex]<a_1, a_2, a_3> \times <b_1, b_2, b_3> = <c_1, c_2, c_3>[/itex] and [itex]<a_1, a_2, a_3> \cdot <b_1, b_2, b_3> = c_4.[/itex]
 

What is a quaternion?

A quaternion is a mathematical concept that extends the idea of complex numbers to four dimensions. It is represented as a combination of a real number and three imaginary numbers.

How is a quaternion different from a complex number?

A complex number has two imaginary components, while a quaternion has three. Additionally, the order of multiplication for quaternions is not commutative, unlike complex numbers.

What is the product between two quaternions?

The product between two quaternions is calculated by using the rules of quaternion multiplication, which involves multiplying the real components and adding the cross products of the imaginary components. The result is another quaternion.

In what fields is the product between quaternions used?

The product between quaternions has applications in fields such as computer graphics, robotics, and physics. It is particularly useful for representing and manipulating three-dimensional rotations.

What are the advantages of using quaternions over other mathematical representations?

Quaternions have several advantages over other mathematical representations, including the ability to represent 3D rotations without gimbal lock and efficient interpolation between orientations. They also have a compact representation and can be easily converted to and from matrices for use in computer graphics applications.

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