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This book investigates the geometry of the quaternion
and octonion algebras. Following a comprehensive historical
introduction, the special properties of 3- and 4-dimensional
Euclidean spaces are illuminated using quaternions, leading to
enumerations of the corresponding finite groups of symmetries. The
second half of the book discusses the less familiar octonion
algebra, concentrating on its remarkable "triality symmetry" after
an appropriate study of Moufang loops. The arithmetics of the
quaternions and octonions are also described, and the book
concludes with a new theory of octonion factorization. Topics
covered include:
- history
- the geometry of complex numbers
- quaternions and 3-dimensional groups
- quaternions and 4-dimensional groups
- the Hurwitz integral quaternions
- the composition algebras, Moufang loops
- octonions and 8-dimensional geometry
- integral octonions
- and the octonion projective plane.
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