Talk:Quaternions

Article Checklist for "Quaternions"

Workgroup category or categories	Mathematics Workgroup [Categories OK]
Article status	Stub: no more than a few sentences
Underlinked article?	No
Basic cleanup done?	Yes
Checklist last edited by	Versuri 06:10, 22 April 2007 (CDT)

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The inscription

The story of the famous bridge inscription is told at some length in Conway and Smith (see Complex number#Further reading for a full reference) where it is described as "one of the most famous acts of mathematical vandalism in history". Greg Woodhouse 11:14, 22 April 2007 (CDT)

I like the bridge story. It has dramatic appeal. As I remember and as it was told to me, what he wrote was "$i^{2}=j^{2}=k^{2}=ijk=-1$". I think it would be good to put this, perhaps in parentheses, right into the sentence of the article where it talks about him writing it -- or at the very least in a footnote (if someone can verify that that's what he wrote). Did the incription stay up long? Is there a plaque at the bridge talking about it? It would be nice to get a bit more detail. --Catherine Woodgold 19:38, 24 April 2007 (CDT)

John Baez wrote a bit about it at http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/octonions/node24.html . -- Jitse Niesen 20:20, 24 April 2007 (CDT)