Jack B. Kuipers

Great detailed exposition on quaternion algebra. The author starts out with an overview of traditional matrix algebra applied to 2D and 3D rotations, and then manages to show how quaternions, as an extension of complex numbers to represent rotations in 2D, are a useful tool for representing rotations in 3D.

The book contains various interesting practical applications for quaternions taken from the aerospace industry, and shows how quaternions are superior to traditional matrix algebra for representing rotations in 3D.

For everyone who likes to truly understand how quaternions work instead of just copy-pasting some formula's from a random textbook.

The following quote shows the author's motives are first and foremost to educate the reader, instead of displaying his mathematical intellect, from page 186:

No doubt some constraints on the matrix M will emerge, but the process seems overly difficult and tedious. Only the most masochistic reader will want to pursue these details.

Great stuff.… (meer)