I started the weekend intending to write some java code as a ‘stretching exercise’ as I’ve been away from java for a couple of years.

This took me to the linear algebra based representation of transformation matrices and from there to quaternions. I’ve looked at them in the past just a bit. This time I decided to dive in and found a good presentation at mathoma on youtube.

They make sense as an extension of the complex numbers and seem to provide a superior way of managing rotations about an arbitrary axis in three-space.

I’ve started framing out some code to process quaternion values and I expect that to be helpful. I’ve also got the rudiments of point, vector, plane and transformation matrix classes. I’ll push what I’ve got up to github tonight and keep working on it later in the week.

I wound up watching another segment here that I switched away from after realizing that this was a mathematician who claimed not to believe in the real numbers.

I did run across another channel that has a pretty decent series of lectures on tensor calculus and vector calculus. I got pulled into the tensor calculus lectures and I’m currently here.  I expect to work through the remainder and likely watch the vector calculus side.

I has been a long time since I did any vector calculus and I’ve never until now looked into tensor calculus, but it looks intriguing.

I’ll probably start reading the accompanying text while I’m on vacation. I’ve also bought a more comprehensive book on quaternions that should arrive before vacation.