2/22/2016

AdaptiveComplexity:ScienceinAgainsttheDay:VectorsandQuaternions

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Sunday,June10,2007

ScienceinAgainsttheDay:Vectorsand
Quaternions

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Hereatlastisthelongdelayednextinstallmentofmy
ongoingprimeronthescienceinThomasPynchon'snovel
AgainsttheDay.Thedraftofpart1canbefoundhere.
Illnessandmajordeadlnesputmebackbymonths.Ihope
tohavemoreinstallmentsoutsoon.
Anyway,hereispart2:QuaternionsandVectorsinAgainst
theDay:
ScienceandAgainsttheDay
Part2:VectorsandQuaternions
I.Theneedforalgebrainmorethanonedimension
InAgainsttheDay,Pynchonfrequentlyreferstoarelatively
obscureconflictinthemathematicsandphysicscommunity
thattookplaceintheearly1890'sbetweenadvocatesof
quaternionsandproponentsofthenewervectoranalysis.
Thisconflictistiedintomajorthemesinthebookthat
emphasizethetensionsbetweentheoldandtheemerging
worldthatculminatedintheconflictofWorldWarI,aswell
astheabilitytoperceiveanddescribetheworldinmore
thanthethreedimensionsofEuclideanspace.Quaternions,
liketheluminiferousaetherdiscussedinPart1ofthisessay,
becamesuperfluousandobsolete,unnecessaryintheefforts
ofphysiciststodescribethenaturalworldaftertheadvent
ofmodernvectoralgebraandcalculus.
Tounderstandthisconflict,itisimportanttounderstand
whatmathematiciansandphysicistsweresearchingfor
whentheydevelopedfirstquaternionsandthenvector
analysis.Themostimportantaimofthesemathematicians
andphysicistshadinmindwastheabilitytodoalgebraic
manipulationsinmorethanonedimension.

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Allofusarefamiliarwiththebasic,onedimensional
operationswhichwelearnedinelementaryschool:addition,
subtraction,multiplication,anddivision.Byonedimensional,
Imeanoperationsoncombinationsofsinglenumbersin
otherwords,whatwedoineverydayadditionor
multiplication.Eachofthesesinglenumberscanallbe
representedonaonedimensionalnumberline,andeach
operationcanbethoughtofasmovingleftorrightalongthe
line:

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AdaptiveComplexity:ScienceinAgainsttheDay:VectorsandQuaternions

Soforexample,theoperation2+3movesyoutotheright
threeunitsonthenumberline,fromposition2toposition5.
IknowthatreadersofPynchonsnovelsdonotneeda
reviewof1stgrademaththeimportantpointImtryingto
makeisthattheseoperationswereallfamiliarwithare
onedimensionaloperationsonanumberline.
Thesebasic,onedimensionaloperationshavecertain
importantproperties,oneswhichmostofustakeforgranted
oncewe'reoutofelementaryschool.Forexample,two
importantpropertiesare:
Associativitywhenaddingormultiplyingmorethantwo
numbers,itdoesn'tmatterhowyougroupthem:
(a+b)+c=a+(b+c)and(axb)xc=ax(bxc)
Commutativitywhenyouaddormultiplytwonumbers,it
doesn'tmatterhowyouorderthem:
a+b=b+aandaxb=bxa
Thechallengetomathematiciansinthe18thcenturywasto
definealgebraicoperationssuchasadditionand
multiplicationonpairs(orlargergroups)ofnumbersin
essence,creatinganalgebraofmorethanonedimension.In
ordertobeuseful,theseoperationsonpairsofnumbershad
tohaveatleastsomeoftheimportantpropertiesfor
operationsonsinglenumbersforexample,theadditionof
numberpairsshouldbeassociativeandcommutative.
Whyareoperationsonparisorothergroupsofnumbers
important?Onereasonisthatsuchdefinitionswould
representanadvanceinpuremathematics,butanotherkey
reasonisthathigherdimensionalmathematicswouldmake
iteasiertoworkwiththelawsofphysicsinmorethanone
dimension.Toseewhatthesemeans,let'stakeNewton's
SecondLawofMotionasanexample.Thislawstatesthat
theforceactingonanobjectisproportionaltothemassof
theobjecttimestheaccelerationoftheobjectproducedby
theforce.Newton'ssecondlawcanbewrittenasthis
equation:
F=ma
Butinthreedimensionalspace,Newton'sSecondLawis
properlywrittenwiththreeequations,toaccountforthe
forceandtheaccelerationineachdimension(each
dimensionrepresentedbyx,y,orz):

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AdaptiveComplexity:ScienceinAgainsttheDay:VectorsandQuaternions

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ScienceinAgainst
theDay:Vectors
andQuaternion...

ThismeansthatwhenwemakecalculationsusingNewton's
SecondLaw,wereallyhavetoperformourcalculationson
threeequationsifwewanttodealwithordinarythree
dimensionalspace.Inacomplicatedsituationwherewe
wanttoaddandsubtractmanydifferentforces,wehaveto
addandsubtractthethreecomponentsforeachforce.A
systemofanalysis,whereouroperationsofadditionand
subtractioncouldbeperformedonasetofthreenumbersat
once,treatingthethreedimensionalforceasoneunit,would
greatlysimplifycalculationsusingNewton'sSecondLawor
themuchmoredifficultlawsofelectromagnetism
formulatedbyMaxwell.
Hereisanotherwaytoseetheproblem.Scientists
distinguishbetweenthespeedofanobject,whichisjusta
magnitudeorascalarquantity(suchas60milesperhour),
andvelocity,whichiscomprisedofbothamagnitudeanda
direction,andthusisavector(suchas60milesperhour
goingnorthwest).Addingspeedstogetheriseasy,buthow
doweaddvelocities?18thand19thcenturyscientistscould
dothisbybreakingvelocitiesdownintotheirone
dimensionalcomponents(justaswedidforNewtonsSecond
Law),buttheyrealizedthatabettersystemwasneeded.

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II.Complexnumbersandtwodimensionalmath
Beforetacklingthreedimensions,letsstartwithjusttwo.
19thcenturyscientistsalreadyhadapowerfulsystemof
analysisfordealingwithpairsofnumberscomplex
numbers.Complexnumbersarecomprisedoftwoparts,a
realpartandanimaginarypart.Theimaginarypartconsists
ofanumbermultipliedbythenumberi,whichisthesquare
rootof1:

ThisWeek'sFindsin
MathematicalPhysics
RealClimate
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ThenCategoryCafe
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NYTimesScience
TalkOriginsArchive
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Thismeansisquaredisequalto1:

Genomicron
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AdaptiveComplexity:ScienceinAgainsttheDay:VectorsandQuaternions

Thusacomplexnumberzlookslikethefollowing,wherea
andbareanynumbersyouchoose:

MysteryRaysfromOuter
Space
Balkanization
TheModernWord
CriticalMass

Again,aiscalledtherealpart,andibisknownasthe
imaginarypart.
Unlikeourordinarynumbersonanumberline,complex
numberscanberepresentedonatwodimensionalplane,
calledthecomplexplane.Oneaxisoftheplaneisthe
numberlinefortherealnumbers,andthesecondaxisisthe
numberlinefortheimaginarynumbers:

TheElegantVariation
TheReadingExperience
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Insteadofapointonaonedimensionalnumberline,
complexnumberscanbeinterpretedaspointsonthetwo
dimensionalcomplexplane.Forexample,thecomplex
number6+3iisthepointonthecomplexplaneasshown
below:

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AdaptiveComplexity:ScienceinAgainsttheDay:VectorsandQuaternions

Usingcomplexnumbers,onecannowdescribetwo
dimensionaloperationslikerotation.Forexample,
multiplyinganumberbyiisequivalenttoa90degree
rotationonthecomplexplane.Thustheoperation:

isequivalenttothis90degreerotationonthecomplex
plane:

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AdaptiveComplexity:ScienceinAgainsttheDay:VectorsandQuaternions

Insteadofmultiplyingbyi,onecanmultiplybyanycomplex
numbertogetarotationofanyangleotherthan90degrees.
Thissubjectcomesuponp.132ofAgainsttheDay,where
Dr.Blopetalksaboutrotations,notinthetwodimensional
spaceofthecomplexplane,butinthethreedimensional
spaceofquaternions:
Timemovesonbutoneaxis,advisedDr.Blope,pastto
futuretheonlyturningpossiblebeingturnsofahundred
andeightydegrees.IntheQuaternions,aninetydegree
directionwouldcorrespondtoanadditionalaxiswhoseunit
is1.Aturnthroughanyotheranglewouldrequireforits
unitacomplexnumber.
Thisabilitytouseoperationsofcomplexnumbersto
describetwodimensionalrotationsandtranslationsisan
extremelyimportanttoolinmathandphysics.
Complexnumbershavemanyotheramazingproperties,but
mostrelevanttoourdiscussionofAgainsttheDayisthat
complexnumberscanbemanipulatedwithallofourbasic
operationstheycanbeadded,subtracted,multiplied,and
divided,withthekindsofusefulpropertiesmentioned
earlier,suchasassociativityandcommutativity.Thus,with
complexnumbers,wehaveawaytodoalgebraintwo
dimensions.
III.Extendingcomplexnumberstothreedimensions:
Quaternions
Inthemid19thcentury,severalmathematicianswere
lookingforwaystoextendthetwodimensionalgeometrical
interpretationofcomplexnumberstothreedimensions.One
importantfigurewasHermannGrassman,whosesystem
turnedouttobeclosesttotheyetfuturevectoranalysis.
GrassmanismentionedonoccasioninAgainsttheDay,but
hisroleinthedevelopmentofvectoranalysiswassomewhat
diminishedbythefactthat,comparedtoWilliamHamilton,
Grassmanwasfairlyunknown.ItwasWilliamHamilton,who
wasalreadyfamousforearlierwork,whodevelopedthe
mostwellknownimmediatepredecessortovectoranalysis
quaternions.
WilliamHamiltonhadbeenstrugglingwiththeproblemof
howtogeneralizecomplexnumberstohigherdimensions.
WhilewalkingwithhiswifeinDublin,Hamiltondiscovered
thefundamentalrelationshipthatcouldunderliesuch
generalizedcomplexnumbers,whichhecalledquaternions.
Thisfundamentalrelationshipisthis:

Hamiltonwassoexcitedaboutthediscoverythathecarved
thisequationintothestoneofDublinsBroughamBridge.
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ReadersofAgainsttheDaywillappreciateHamiltonsown
languagedescribingthisevent(inaletterwrittentohisson
in1865):
Butonthe16thdayofthesamemonthwhichhappenedto
beaMonday,andaCouncildayoftheRoyalIrishAcademy
Iwaswalkingintoattendandpreside,andyourmotherwas
walkingwithme,alongtheRoyalCanal,towhichshehad
perhapsdrivenandalthoughshetalkedwithmenowand
then,yetanundercurrentofthoughtwasgoingoninmy
mind,whichgaveatlastaresult,whereofitisnottoomuch
tosaythatIfeltatoncetheimportance.Anelectriccircuit
seemedtocloseandasparkflashedforth,theherald(asI
foresaw,immediately)ofmanylongyearstocomeof
definitelydirectedthoughtandwork,bymyselfifspared,
andatalleventsonthepartofothers,ifIshouldevenbe
allowedtolivelongenoughtodistinctlycommunicatethe
discovery.NorcouldIresisttheimpulseunphilosophicalas
itmayhavebeentocutwithaknifeonastoneof
BroughamBridge,aswepassedit,thefundamentalformula
withthesymbols,i,j,knamely

whichcontainstheSolutionoftheProblem,butofcourse,as
aninscription,haslongsincemoulderedaway.(from
Crowe,p.29)
Sowhatexactlyarequaternions?Itwouldbetoodifficultto
exploretheirpropertiesinanydepthhere.Morethorough
introductoryreferencescanbefoundatMathworld,andalso
RogerPenrosesbookTheRoadtoReality,chapter11.
Brieflythough,aquaternionislikeacomplexnumber,in
thatitismadeupofmultipleparts.Ithasfourcomponents,
onescalarcomponentandthreevectorcomponents:

Thethreecomponentsofthevectorportionofaquaternion
areimaginarynumbers,justlikeibistheimaginary
numberportionofacomplexnumber.Aswesawearlier,the
imaginarynumberiisequaltothesquarerootof1,or:

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AdaptiveComplexity:ScienceinAgainsttheDay:VectorsandQuaternions

Thesameholdstrueforjandkinquaternions:

Justascomplexnumberscanbeusedtoalgebraically
describerotationsinthetwodimensionalcomplexplane,
quaternionscanbeusedtodescriberotationsinthree
dimensionalspace.Thatthreedimensionalspaceisdefined
bythreeimaginaryaxes,i,j,andk(insteadofthex,y,and
zweusedearliertodescribeoureveryday,Cartesian,
threedimensionalspace).
Quaternionshavemostoftheimportantalgebraicproperties
ofbothrealandcomplexnumbersforexample,theyhave
theassociativeproperty(i.e,a+(b+c)=(a+b)+c).
Howeverquaternionsdonothaveonemajorproperty:
multiplicationisnotcommutative,thatisijji.(Togetan
ideaofhowweirdthisis,imaginethat5x66x5!)
Quaternionsareactuallyanticommutative,whichmeans
that:ij=ji.(Again,imaginewhatitwouldbelikeofreal
numbershadthispropertythen5x6=(6x5)weird,
butthiskindofweirdnessisanimportantpropertyin
quantummechanicsandotheraspectsofmodernphysics.)
QuaternionsnevercaughtonaswidelyasHamiltonhad
hoped,buttheydidhavesomeverypassionateadvocates.A
communityofmathematiciansandphysicistsputina
significantefforttoshowhowquaternionscouldbeusefulfor
solvingproblemsinphysics.Maxwellslawsof
electromagnetism(operatinginthreedimensionalspace)
couldbewrittenintermsofquaternions,butitstillwasnt
clearthatquaternionswerethebesttoolsforhandlingmulti
dimensionalproblemsinalgebraandphysics.Asarecent
paperputit,Despitetheclearutilityofquaternions,there
wasalwaysaslightmysteryandconfusionovertheirnature
anduse.(Lasenby,LasenbyandDoran,2000)Roger
Penroseputsitthisway:
[Quaternionsgive]usaverybeautifulalgebraicstructure
and,apparently,thepotentialforawonderfulcalculusfinely
tunedtothetreatmentofthephysicsandgeometryofour3
dimensionalphysicalspace.Indeed,Hamiltonhimself
devotedtheremaining22yearsofhislifeattemptingto
developsuchacalculus.However,fromourpresent
perspective,aswelookbackoverthe19thand20th
centuries,wemuststillregardtheseheroiceffortsashaving
resultedinrelativefailure.Thisisnottosaythat
quaternionsaremathematically(orevenphysically)
unimportant.Theycertainlydohavesomeverysignificant
rolestoplay,andinaslightlyindirectsensetheirinfluence
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hasbeenenormous,throughvarioustypesofgeneralization.
Buttheoriginalpurequaternionsstillhavenotlivedupto
whatmusthaveundoubtedlyhaveinitiallyseemedtobean
extraordinarypromise.
"Whyhavetheynot?Isthereperhapsalessonforusto
learnconcerningmodernattemptsatfindingtheright
mathematicsforthephysicalworld?(Penrose,p.200)
IV."KampfumsDasein"thestrugglebetweenquaternions
andvectoranalysis
J.WillardGibbswrotealetterin1888,inwhichhestated
thatIbelieveaKampfumsDasein[struggleforexistence]
isjustcommencingbetweenthedifferentmethodsand
notationsofmultiplealgebra,especiallybetweentheideas
ofGrassman&ofHamilton."(Crowe,p.182)Thatstruggle
commencedinearnestin1890,andlastedroughlyfour
years.AccordingtoMichaelCrowe,authorofAHistoryof
VectorAnalysis,thestruggleinvolvedeightscientific
journals,twelvescientists,androughly36publications
between1890and1894.(Crowe,p.182)Thefollowing
chronologicaloutlineisbasedonMichaelCrowesextensive
discussionofthisstruggle(chapter6ofAHistoryofVector
Analysis).
Whatwastheargumentabout?Hamiltonsfollowerstriedfor
yearstobringwhattheyperceivedtobethequaternions
untappedpotentialtofruition.Theyhadnotbeenas
successfulastheyhoped,andanewcompetitorwas
emergingthesystemofvectoranalysisdeveloped
simultaneouslybyOliverHeavisideinEnglandandJ.Willard
GibbsatYale.Thisnewsystemwasprovingusefulina
varietyofcontextswherequaternionshadfailedtoliveupto
theirpromise.Forinstance,whileMaxwellslawsof
electromagnetismhadbeenatonepointcastinquaternion
form,HeavisideshowedthatMaxwellslawscouldbemuch
moreusefullypresentedintheformofvectorcalculus.Also,
Gibbshadwrittenapamphletlayingouthissystemofvector
analysisandargueditsadvantagesinsolvingphysics
problems.
Thiscompetitionriledthequaternionists.Theybegan
seekingsupportamongmathematiciansandphysicists,
tryingtoencouragetheircolleaguestojointheireffortto
furtherdevelopquaternionsintoausefultool.Theleading
quaternionist,successortoHamilton(whohaddiedin1865),
PeterGuthrieTaitarguedin1890thatquaternionswere
transcendentallyexpressiveanduniquelyadaptedto
Euclidian[3dimenesional]space.Taitalsolaunchedwhat
wasbasicallythefirstshotinthestrugglewiththe
vectorists,whenhewrotethatGibbswasoneofthe
retardersofQuaternionprogress,invirtueofhispamphlet
onVectorAnalysis,asortofhermaphroditemonster.
GibbsrepliedtoTaitinan1891letterinthejournalNature.
Hearguedthatthescalarandvectorproductsofhisvector
analysishadafundamentalimportanceinphysics,butthe
quaternionitself(which,asdiscussedabove,isa
combinationofbothascalarandavectorelement)hadlittle
naturalusefulness.(Briefly,thescalarandvectorproducts
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AdaptiveComplexity:ScienceinAgainsttheDay:VectorsandQuaternions

arewhatwenowcallthedotandcrossproductoftwo
vectors.Basically,Gibbsdefinedtwotypesofmultiplication
forvectors:onecouldmultiplytwovectorstogetascalar
quantity(thescalar,ordotproduct)oronecouldmultiply
twovectorstoobtainyetanothervector(thevector,or
scalarproduct).Bothproductsarewidelyusedtodayin
physics.)Gibbsalsopointedoutthatvectoranalysiscouldbe
extendedtofourormoredimensions,whilequaternions
werelimitedtothreedimensions.
InhisreplytoGibbs,Taitmadetheinfamouscomment
(whichcropsupinAgainsttheDay,p.131)thatitis
singularthatoneofProf.Gibbs'objectionstoQuaternions
shouldbepreciselywhatIhavealwaysconsidered...their
chiefmerit:viz.thattheyareuniquelyadaptedtoEuclidean
space,andthereforespeciallyusefulinsomeofthemost
importantbranchesofphysicalscience.Whathavestudents
ofphysics,assuch,todowithspaceofmorethanthree
dimensions?(CrowecommentswrylythatFateseemsto
havebeenagainstTait,atleastinregardtothatlastpoint.)
Theargumentswentbackandforthforfouryearswithlittle
apparentprogress.Gibbsrepeatedlyandcalmlyemphasized
thattheprimeconsiderationinasystemofanalysisshould
begiventothefundamentalrelationshipswewishto
describeinthephysicalworld.Hewrote:
Whateverisspecial,accidental,andindividual[inthese
analysissystems]willdieasitshouldbutthatwhichis
universalandessentialshouldremainasanorganicpartof
thewholeintellectualacquisition.Ifthatwhichisessential
dieswiththeaccidental,itmustbebecausetheaccidental
hasbeengiventheprominencewhichbelongstothe
essential...
OtherwriterswerenotsocalmasGibbs.Several
quaternionistswerequitevitriolic,whileOliverHeaviside
seemedtorelishthebattlewhenhewrotethatthe
quaternioniccalmandpeacehavebeendisturbed.Thereis
confusioninthequaternioniccitadelalarmsandexcursions,
andhurlingofstonesandpouringofboilingwateruponthe
invadinghost.
Afterabout4years,theargumentsdieddown.Vector
analysisbegantobemorewidelyadopted,notbecauseof
anyargumentsmadeintheKampfumsDasein,butbecause
itbecamecloselyassociatedwiththegrowingsuccessof
Maxwellstheoryofelectromagnetism.Quaternionsfaded
intoahistoricalfootnote,whileamodernizedversionofthe
GibbsandHeavisidevectoranalysisbecamewhatmost
studentsinphysics,chemistry,andengineeringlearntouse
today.Likethescienceoftheluminiferousaether,which
becameobsoleteaftertheworkbyMichelsonandMorley,
andthedevelopmentofEinsteinsSpecialRelativity,
quaternionsareanotherlargelyabandonedsubjectofonce
high19thcenturyhopes.
V.SpeculationsonquaternionsinAgainsttheDay
WhydoesPynchonmakesuchabigdealofquaternionsand
vectorsinAgainsttheDay?Possiblybecausetheyareso
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tiedupwiththechangingnotionsoflight,space,andtime
aroundtheendofthe19thCentury.Animportantthemein
thehistoryofscienceisthathowweperceiveourworldis
limitedbyhowwecanmeasureit,andwhatwecansay
aboutit(especiallyintermsofmathematics).The
quaternionistsviewsofspaceandtimewerelimitedbythe
mathematicalformalismstheywereworkingwith.Someof
themspeculatedthatthescalar(orw)termofaquaternion
couldbeusedsomehowtorepresenttime,whilethethree
vectorcomponentscovered3dimensionalspace,butthis
viewtreatstimedifferentlyfromhowitwouldeventuallybe
dealtwithinthefourdimensionalspacetimeofspecial
relativity.Foronething,timeasascalartermwouldonly
havetwodirections,+orthatis,eitherforwardor
backwards,whereasinrelativityindividualobserverscanbe
rotatedanyanglerelativetothetimeaxisoffour
dimensionalspacetime(recalltheFroggerexamplefrom
partIofthisessay).
CharactersinAgainsttheDayspeculateaboutthesomewhat
mysteriousroleofthewtermofquaternions,suggesting
thattheQuaternionweaponmakesusethewtermto
somehowdisplaceobjectsintime.AsLouisMenandnotesin
hisreviewofAgainsttheDay,thisbookisakindof
inventoryofthepossibilitiesinherentinaparticularmoment
inthehistoryoftheimagination.(IdisagreewithMenands
claimthatthisisallthebookis,andthatitisjustarehash
ofwhatwasdoneinMason&Dixon.Moreonthatinanother
installmentofthisessay.)
Spacesandgeometries,thosewhichweperceive,whichwe
cantperceive,orwhichonlysomeofusperceive,area
recurringthemeinAgainsttheDay.AsProfessorSveglitells
theChumsabouttheSfinciunoItinerary,Theproblemlies
withtheprojectionofsurfaces,especiallyimaginaryones
beyondourthreedimensionalearth.Thus
paramorphoscopeswereinventedtorevealworldswhich
aresettothesideoftheonewehavetaken,untilnow,to
betheonlyworldgivenus.(p.249)Todrawperhapsatoo
crudeanalogy,themathematicaltoolsofphysicsarelike
paramorphoscopesdesignedcorrectly,theycanenableus
totalkaboutworldsandimaginaryaxesthatwewouldnot
haveconsideredotherwise.Andperhapsthebyabandoning
someofthetoolsoncecurrentinthe19thCentury,wehave
closedoffourperceptionofotheraspectsofnaturethat
remaincurrentlytransparenttous.ItturnsoutthatGibbs
vectoranalysisitselfwasinsufficienttohandleimportant
aspectsofrelativisticspacetimeaswellasquantum
mechanics,andphysicistshavesincerediscoveredimportant
ideasinalgebradevelopedbyHermannGrassmanand
WilliamClifford,whose19thcenturyworkanticipated
important20thcenturydevelopmentsbetterthan
quaternionsorvectoranalysis.
Thereismuchmorethatcouldbesaid.Infuture
installmentsofthisessay,I'llfinishthescienceprimer
portionbycoveringRiemannsurfacesand4dimensional
spacetime,andthenhopefullymoveontosome
interpretationandareplytoJamesWood'sclaimthatthat
AgainsttheDayisjustamassiveSeinfeldepisodethatis,
abookaboutnothing.
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Staytuned...
Forfurtherreading:
MichaelJ.Crowe,AHistoryofVectorAnalysis(1969)
RogerPenrose,TheRoadtoReality,(2004)Chapter11
TheFeynmanLecturesonPhysics,Vol.1,Chapters11and
22
Lasenby,et.al,"Aunifiedmathematicallanguagefor
physicsandengineeringinthe21stcentury",Phil.Trans.R.
Soc.Lond.A(2000)358,2139
PostedbyMikeWhiteat4:15PM

Labels:scienceinliterature,ThomasPynchon

3comments:
Hanksaid...
It'sgoodstuff,thoughittookmepartsoftwodaystoreadit
all.
Idon'tseewhyyouwouldn'tputthatoveronsbtoo.
Thecategorieswehavearejustforwhereyourname
appearsintheindex.It'snotaprison!!:)
8:14AM

Mikesaid...
IcandothatIhadn'tdoneitbeforebecausethepieceisn't
selfcontained,andInevergottothenextinstallmenton
Riemannsurfaces.
I'vealsobeenmeaningtofinishapieceonJackKerouacand
beingontheroadinmolecularbiologyneverfinishedthat
either,andImissedthe50thannivesaryofOnTheRoad.
11:43AM

ReverendLowellsaid...
Mike...WaitingforPartThree.Enjoyingtheheckoutofyour
writingsofar.Hopeyourhealthcontinuestoimprove.Oh,
I'mwritingthislessthanonemilefromJack's
Birthplace.......sometimes,whenthewindisright,Icanhear
thesoundsofscruffylittlechildrenplayingballatDracut
TigersField....
12:13AM

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