The Octonions
by John C. Baez
Publisher: University of California 2001
Number of pages: 56
Description:
The octonions are the largest of the four normed division algebras. While somewhat neglected due to their nonassociativity, they stand at the crossroads of many interesting fields of mathematics. Here we describe them and their relation to Clifford algebras and spinors, Bott periodicity, projective and Lorentzian geometry, Jordan algebras, and the exceptional Lie groups. We also touch upon their applications in quantum logic, special relativity and supersymmetry.
Download or read it online for free here:
Download link
(420KB, PDF)
Similar books
An Introduction to Nonassociative Algebrasby Richard D. Schafer - Project Gutenberg
Concise study presents in a short space some of the important ideas and results in the theory of nonassociative algebras, with particular emphasis on alternative and (commutative) Jordan algebras. Written as an introduction for graduate students.
(9569 views)
Clifford Algebra, Geometric Algebra, and Applicationsby Douglas Lundholm, Lars Svensson - arXiv
These are lecture notes for a course on the theory of Clifford algebras. The various applications include vector space and projective geometry, orthogonal maps and spinors, normed division algebras, as well as simplicial complexes and graph theory.
(9628 views)
Commutator Theory for Congruence Modular Varietiesby Ralph Freese, Ralph McKenzie - Cambridge University Press
This book presents the basic theory of commutators in congruence modular varieties and some of its strongest applications. The authors take an algebraic approach, using some of the shortcuts that Taylor and others have discovered.
(8404 views)
An introduction to Noncommutative Projective Geometryby D. Rogalski - arXiv
These lecture notes are an expanded version of the author's lectures at a graduate workshop. The main topics discussed are Artin-Schelter regular algebras, point modules, and the noncommutative projective scheme associated to a graded algebra.
(5274 views)