Abstract
THIS being the second volume of the reprint of a book that has become classical, and is known, by reputation at least, to all mathematicians, it is unnecessary to review it at much length. A comparison, however, seems to be called for between the work of the master and that published by his great disciple, Prof. Tait, since the first edition of the “Elements” made its appearance. The methods of treatment adopted differ radically. Prof. Tait's book is “essentially a working one,” and for the most part contains only those formulæ that are necessary to a student when he commences the study of quaternions, and will afterwards be his working formuhe for general use. Sir W. Hamilton's book, on the other hand, aims at completeness. It gives fifty-three transformations for the vector of torsion of a curve in space, and treats the whole of the theory of curves and surfaces with the same elaboration ! This wealth of methods and formulæ, which will only confuse the student who wishes to learn quaternions merely in order to apply it in his investigations in physics, &c., makes the book indispensable to the student who studies the subject for its Of sake, or who wishes to deepen or consolidate the knowledge of it that he already possesses. Hamilton passes over statics and rigid dynamics quickly, but he treats dynamics and Fresnel's wave surface with his usual fulness.
Elements of Quaternions.
Sir W. Hamilton. 2nd edition. Edited by C. J. Joly. Vol. ii. Pp. liv + 502. (London: Longmans and Co., 1901.) Price 21s. net.
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P., H. Elements of Quaternions . Nature 64, 206 (1901). https://doi.org/10.1038/064206a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/064206a0