Today, quaternions are used in computer graphics, control theory, signal processing, and orbital mechanics, mainly for representing rotations/orientations. Spacecraft attitude-control systems are ...

Before folks unanimously agreed that Quaternions are way better, we used to represent orientations in 3D using 3 rotations about the 3D plane’s axes, commonly known as roll, pitch, and yaw.

The mathematical properties of unit quaternions (those with length equal to 1) make them ideal for representing rotations in three dimensions. Each quaternion has an axis giving its direction and ...

As in recent numbers of NATURE my views on analysis have been quoted, and not very correctly, I ask for space to state them more explicitly. I see truth in the quaternion analysis and in the ...

Quaternions and vectors. Hamilton called his 4D numbers "quaternions," and he used them to calculate geometrical rotations in 3D space. This is the kind of rotation used today to move a robot, say ...

Utility of Quaternions in Physics. By A. McAulay (London: Macmillan and Co., 1893.) Nature - Quaternions as an Instrument in Physical Research. Skip to main content.