Geometric Algebra And Applications To Physics

Bringing geometric algebra to the mainstream of physics pedagogy, Geometric Algebra and Applications to Physics not only presents geometric algebra as a discipline within mathematical physics, but the book also shows how geometric algebra can be applied to numerous fundamental problems in physics, especially in experimental situations. This

This volume is an outgrowth of the 1995 Summer School on Theoretical Physics of the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP), held in Banff, Alberta, in the Canadian Rockies, from July 30 to August 12,1995. The chapters, based on lectures given at the School, are designed to be tutorial in nature, and many include exercises to assist the learning process. Most lecturers gave three or four fifty-minute lectures aimed at relative novices in the field. More emphasis is therefore placed on pedagogy and establishing comprehension than on erudition and superior scholarship. Of course, new and exciting results are presented in applications of Clifford algebras, but in a coherent and user-friendly way to the nonspecialist. The subject area of the volume is Clifford algebra and its applications. Through the geometric language of the Clifford-algebra approach, many concepts in physics are clarified, united, and extended in new and sometimes surprising directions. In particular, the approach eliminates the formal gaps that traditionally separate clas sical, quantum, and relativistic physics. It thereby makes the study of physics more efficient and the research more penetrating, and it suggests resolutions to a major physics problem of the twentieth century, namely how to unite quantum theory and gravity. The term "geometric algebra" was used by Clifford himself, and David Hestenes has suggested its use in order to emphasize its wide applicability, and b& cause the developments by Clifford were themselves based heavily on previous work by Grassmann, Hamilton, Rodrigues, Gauss, and others.

This volume offers a comprehensive approach to the theoretical, applied and symbolic computational aspects of the subject. Excellent for self-study, leading experts in the field have written on the of topics mentioned above, using an easy approach with efficient geometric language for non-specialists.

Geometric algebra has established itself as a powerful and valuable mathematical tool for solving problems in computer science, engineering, physics, and mathematics. The articles in this volume, written by experts in various fields, reflect an interdisciplinary approach to the subject, and highlight a range of techniques and applications. Relevant ideas are introduced in a self-contained manner and only a knowledge of linear algebra and calculus is assumed. Features and Topics: * The mathematical foundations of geometric algebra are explored * Applications in computational geometry include models of reflection and ray-tracing and a new and concise characterization of the crystallographic groups * Applications in engineering include robotics, image geometry, control-pose estimation, inverse kinematics and dynamics, control and visual navigation * Applications in physics include rigid-body dynamics, elasticity, and electromagnetism * Chapters dedicated to quantum information theory dealing with multi- particle entanglement, MRI, and relativistic generalizations Practitioners, professionals, and researchers working in computer science, engineering, physics, and mathematics will find a wide range of useful applications in this state-of-the-art survey and reference book. Additionally, advanced graduate students interested in geometric algebra will find the most current applications and methods discussed.

The goal of this book is to present a unified mathematical treatment of diverse problems in mathematics, physics, computer science, and engineer ing using geometric algebra. Geometric algebra was invented by William Kingdon Clifford in 1878 as a unification and generalization of the works of Grassmann and Hamilton, which came more than a quarter of a century before. Whereas the algebras of Clifford and Grassmann are well known in advanced mathematics and physics, they have never made an impact in elementary textbooks where the vector algebra of Gibbs-Heaviside still predominates. The approach to Clifford algebra adopted in most of the ar ticles here was pioneered in the 1960s by David Hestenes. Later, together with Garret Sobczyk, he developed it into a unified language for math ematics and physics. Sobczyk first learned about the power of geometric algebra in classes in electrodynamics and relativity taught by Hestenes at Arizona State University from 1966 to 1967. He still vividly remembers a feeling of disbelief that the fundamental geometric product of vectors could have been left out of his undergraduate mathematics education. Geometric algebra provides a rich, general mathematical framework for the develop ment of multilinear algebra, projective and affine geometry, calculus on a manifold, the representation of Lie groups and Lie algebras, the use of the horosphere and many other areas. This book is addressed to a broad audience of applied mathematicians, physicists, computer scientists, and engineers.

Matrix algebra has been called "the arithmetic of higher mathematics" [Be]. We think the basis for a better arithmetic has long been available, but its versatility has hardly been appreciated, and it has not yet been integrated into the mainstream of mathematics. We refer to the system commonly called 'Clifford Algebra', though we prefer the name 'Geometric Algebra' suggested by Clifford himself. Many distinct algebraic systems have been adapted or developed to express geometric relations and describe geometric structures. Especially notable are those algebras which have been used for this purpose in physics, in particular, the system of complex numbers, the quaternions, matrix algebra, vector, tensor and spinor algebras and the algebra of differential forms. Each of these geometric algebras has some significant advantage over the others in certain applications, so no one of them provides an adequate algebraic structure for all purposes of geometry and physics. At the same time, the algebras overlap considerably, so they provide several different mathematical representations for individual geometrical or physical ideas.

Geometric algebra is a powerful mathematical language with applications across a range of subjects in physics and engineering.

Geometric algebra is a powerful mathematical language with applications across a range of subjects in physics and engineering. This book is a complete guide to the current state of the subject with early chapters providing a self-contained introduction to geometric algebra. Topics covered include new techniques for handling rotations in arbitrary dimensions, and the links between rotations, bivectors and the structure of the Lie groups. Following chapters extend the concept of a complex analytic function theory to arbitrary dimensions, with applications in quantum theory and electromagnetism. Later chapters cover advanced topics such as non-Euclidean geometry, quantum entanglement, and gauge theories. Applications such as black holes and cosmic strings are also explored. It can be used as a graduate text for courses on the physical applications of geometric algebra and is also suitable for researchers working in the fields of relativity and quantum theory.