From: "Peter Jack" <pmj@idirect.com>
Subject: Re: Quaternions in Electromagnetism
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 1999 06:05:47 GMT
Newsgroups: sci.math

Pertti Lounesto wrote in message <383D8C34.7823E7E5@hit.fi>...
>Peter Jack wrote:

>> I give a clear "intuitive" illustration at my other web page
>>
>> http://webhome.idirect.com/~pmj/emgrav/phi7.html
>
>This web page describes various algebras of elecromagnetics:
>
>http://www.hut.fi/~ppuska/elmag_alg.html.
>

The problem with all these applications of algebra to em
is that they miss the essential point. A non-commutative
algebra has a non-commutative derivative, so you must
take the derivative from both the _right_  *and* the _left_.

They are using the relatively new "non-commutative" algebra
concepts together with the relatively old "commutative" analytical
point of view. And so everyone tries to write down the
differential expressions with the operator on "one side"
of the symbols only. This introduces a "bias" into the
work that singles out a preferential "orientation" for the
representation of physical processes.  But, the Electric
and Magnetic fields are neither "left hand" nor "right hand"
phenomena. So, none of them can arrive at the "truth."