Exploring physics with Geometric Algebra

Exploring physics with Geometric Algebra
Author: Peeter Joot
Publisher: Peeter Joot
Total Pages: 1106
Release:
Genre: Science
ISBN:

This is an exploratory collection of notes containing worked examples of a number of applications of Geometric Algebra (GA), also known as Clifford Algebra. This writing is focused on undergraduate level physics concepts, with a target audience of somebody with an undergraduate engineering background (i.e. me at the time of writing.) These notes are more journal than book. You'll find lots of duplication, since I reworked some topics from scratch a number of times. In many places I was attempting to learn both the basic physics concepts as well as playing with how to express many of those concepts using GA formalisms. The page count proves that I did a very poor job of weeding out all the duplication. These notes are (dis)organized into the following chapters * Basics and Geometry. This chapter covers a hodge-podge collection of topics, including GA forms for traditional vector identities, Quaterions, Cauchy equations, Legendre polynomials, wedge product representation of a plane, bivector and trivector geometry, torque and more. A couple attempts at producing an introduction to GA concepts are included (none of which I was ever happy with.) * Projection. Here the concept of reciprocal frame vectors, using GA and traditional matrix formalisms is developed. Projection, rejection and Moore-Penrose (generalized inverse) operations are discussed. * Rotation. GA Rotors, Euler angles, spherical coordinates, blade exponentials, rotation generators, and infinitesimal rotations are all examined from a GA point of view. * Calculus. Here GA equivalents for a number of vector calculus relations are developed, spherical and hyperspherical volume parameterizations are derived, some questions about the structure of divergence and curl are examined, and tangent planes and normals in 3 and 4 dimensions are examined. Wrapping up this chapter is a complete GA formulation of the general Stokes theorem for curvilinear coordinates in Euclidean or non-Euclidean spaces is developed. * General Physics. This chapter introduces a bivector form of angular momentum (instead of a cross product), examines the components of radial velocity and acceleration, kinetic energy, symplectic structure, Newton's method, and a center of mass problem for a toroidal segment. * Relativity. This is a fairly incoherent chapter, including an attempt to develop the Lorentz transformation by requiring wave equation invariance, Lorentz transformation of the four-vector (STA) gradient, and a look at the relativistic doppler equation. * Electrodynamics. The GA formulation of Maxwell's equation (singular in GA) is developed here. Various basic topics of electrodynamics are examined using the GA toolbox, including the Biot-Savart law, the covariant form for Maxwell's equation (Space Time Algebra, or STA), four vectors and potentials, gauge invariance, TEM waves, and some Lienard-Wiechert problems. * Lorentz Force. Here the GA form of the Lorentz force equation and its relation to the usual vectorial representation is explored. This includes some application of boosts to the force equation to examine how it transforms under observe dependent conditions. * Electrodynamic stress energy. This chapter explores concepts of electrodynamic energy and momentum density and the GA representation of the Poynting vector and the stress-energy tensors. * Quantum Mechanics. This chapter includes a look at the Dirac Lagrangian, and how this can be cast into GA form. Properties of the Pauli and Dirac bases are explored, and how various matrix operations map onto their GA equivalents. A bivector form for the angular momentum operator is examined. A multivector form for the first few spherical harmonic eigenfunctions is developed. A multivector factorization of the three and four dimensional Laplacian and the angular momentum operators are derived. * Fourier treatments. Solutions to various PDE equations are attempted using Fourier series and transforms. Much of this chapter was exploring Fourier solutions to the GA form of Maxwell's equation, but a few other non-geometric algebra Fourier problems were also tackled.

Geometric Algebra for Physicists

Geometric Algebra for Physicists
Author: Chris Doran
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 647
Release: 2007-11-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1139643142

Geometric algebra is a powerful mathematical language with applications across a range of subjects in physics and engineering. This book is a complete guide to the current state of the subject with early chapters providing a self-contained introduction to geometric algebra. Topics covered include new techniques for handling rotations in arbitrary dimensions, and the links between rotations, bivectors and the structure of the Lie groups. Following chapters extend the concept of a complex analytic function theory to arbitrary dimensions, with applications in quantum theory and electromagnetism. Later chapters cover advanced topics such as non-Euclidean geometry, quantum entanglement, and gauge theories. Applications such as black holes and cosmic strings are also explored. It can be used as a graduate text for courses on the physical applications of geometric algebra and is also suitable for researchers working in the fields of relativity and quantum theory.

Geometric Algebra for Electrical Engineers

Geometric Algebra for Electrical Engineers
Author: Peeter Joot
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2019-01-29
Genre:
ISBN: 9781987598971

This book introduces the fundamentals of geometric algebra and calculus, and applies those tools to the study of electromagnetism. Geometric algebra provides a structure that can represent oriented point, line, plane, and volume segments. Vectors, which can be thought of as a representation of oriented line segments, are generalized to multivectors. A full fledged, but non-commutative (i.e. order matters) mul- tiplication operation will be defined for products of vectors. Namely, the square of a vector is the square of its length. This simple rule, along with a requirement that we can sum vectors and their products, essentially defines geometric algebra. Such sums of scalars, vectors and vector products are called multivectors. The reader will see that familiar concepts such as the dot and cross product are related to a more general vector product, and that algebraic structures such as complex numbers can be represented as multivectors. We will be able to utilize generalized complex exponentials to do rotations in arbitrarily oriented planes in space, and will find that simple geometric algebra representations of many geometric transformations are possible. Generalizations of the divergence and Stokes' theorems are required once we choose to work with multivector functions. There is an unfortunate learning curve required to express this gen- eralization, but once overcome, we will be left with a single powerful multivector integration theorem that has no analogue in conventional vector calculus. This fundamental theorem of geo- metric calculus incorporates Green's (area) theorem, the divergence theorem, Stokes' theorems, and complex residue calculus. Multivector calculus also provides the opportunity to define a few unique and powerful Green's functions that almost trivialize solutions of Maxwell's equations. Instead of working separately with electric and magnetic fields, we will work with a hybrid multivector field that includes both electric and magnetic field contributions, and with a mul- tivector current that includes both charge and current densities. The natural representation of Maxwell's equations is a single multivector equation that is easier to solve and manipulate then the conventional mess of divergence and curl equations are familiar to the reader. This book is aimed at graduate or advanced undergraduates in electrical engineering or physics. While all the fundamental results of electromagnetism are derived from Maxwell's equations, there will be no attempt to motivate Maxwell's equations themselves, so existing familiarity with the subject is desirable.

Clifford Algebra to Geometric Calculus

Clifford Algebra to Geometric Calculus
Author: David Hestenes
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 340
Release: 1984
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9789027725615

Matrix algebra has been called "the arithmetic of higher mathematics" [Be]. We think the basis for a better arithmetic has long been available, but its versatility has hardly been appreciated, and it has not yet been integrated into the mainstream of mathematics. We refer to the system commonly called 'Clifford Algebra', though we prefer the name 'Geometric Algebra' suggested by Clifford himself. Many distinct algebraic systems have been adapted or developed to express geometric relations and describe geometric structures. Especially notable are those algebras which have been used for this purpose in physics, in particular, the system of complex numbers, the quaternions, matrix algebra, vector, tensor and spinor algebras and the algebra of differential forms. Each of these geometric algebras has some significant advantage over the others in certain applications, so no one of them provides an adequate algebraic structure for all purposes of geometry and physics. At the same time, the algebras overlap considerably, so they provide several different mathematical representations for individual geometrical or physical ideas.

Geometric Multiplication of Vectors

Geometric Multiplication of Vectors
Author: Miroslav Josipović
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2019-11-22
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 3030017567

This book enables the reader to discover elementary concepts of geometric algebra and its applications with lucid and direct explanations. Why would one want to explore geometric algebra? What if there existed a universal mathematical language that allowed one: to make rotations in any dimension with simple formulas, to see spinors or the Pauli matrices and their products, to solve problems of the special theory of relativity in three-dimensional Euclidean space, to formulate quantum mechanics without the imaginary unit, to easily solve difficult problems of electromagnetism, to treat the Kepler problem with the formulas for a harmonic oscillator, to eliminate unintuitive matrices and tensors, to unite many branches of mathematical physics? What if it were possible to use that same framework to generalize the complex numbers or fractals to any dimension, to play with geometry on a computer, as well as to make calculations in robotics, ray-tracing and brain science? In addition, what if such a language provided a clear, geometric interpretation of mathematical objects, even for the imaginary unit in quantum mechanics? Such a mathematical language exists and it is called geometric algebra. High school students have the potential to explore it, and undergraduate students can master it. The universality, the clear geometric interpretation, the power of generalizations to any dimension, the new insights into known theories, and the possibility of computer implementations make geometric algebra a thrilling field to unearth.

Understanding Geometric Algebra for Electromagnetic Theory

Understanding Geometric Algebra for Electromagnetic Theory
Author: John W. Arthur
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 320
Release: 2011-09-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0470941634

This book aims to disseminate geometric algebra as a straightforward mathematical tool set for working with and understanding classical electromagnetic theory. It's target readership is anyone who has some knowledge of electromagnetic theory, predominantly ordinary scientists and engineers who use it in the course of their work, or postgraduate students and senior undergraduates who are seeking to broaden their knowledge and increase their understanding of the subject. It is assumed that the reader is not a mathematical specialist and is neither familiar with geometric algebra or its application to electromagnetic theory. The modern approach, geometric algebra, is the mathematical tool set we should all have started out with and once the reader has a grasp of the subject, he or she cannot fail to realize that traditional vector analysis is really awkward and even misleading by comparison. Professors can request a solutions manual by email: [email protected]

Clifford (geometric) Algebras with Applications to Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering

Clifford (geometric) Algebras with Applications to Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering
Author: William Eric Baylis
Publisher: Boston : Birkhäuser
Total Pages: 544
Release: 1996
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN:

This volume offers a comprehensive approach to the theoretical, applied and symbolic computational aspects of the subject. Excellent for self-study, leading experts in the field have written on the of topics mentioned above, using an easy approach with efficient geometric language for non-specialists.

Geometric Algebra for Computer Science

Geometric Algebra for Computer Science
Author: Leo Dorst
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 664
Release: 2010-07-26
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0080553109

Until recently, almost all of the interactions between objects in virtual 3D worlds have been based on calculations performed using linear algebra. Linear algebra relies heavily on coordinates, however, which can make many geometric programming tasks very specific and complex-often a lot of effort is required to bring about even modest performance enhancements. Although linear algebra is an efficient way to specify low-level computations, it is not a suitable high-level language for geometric programming. Geometric Algebra for Computer Science presents a compelling alternative to the limitations of linear algebra. Geometric algebra, or GA, is a compact, time-effective, and performance-enhancing way to represent the geometry of 3D objects in computer programs. In this book you will find an introduction to GA that will give you a strong grasp of its relationship to linear algebra and its significance for your work. You will learn how to use GA to represent objects and perform geometric operations on them. And you will begin mastering proven techniques for making GA an integral part of your applications in a way that simplifies your code without slowing it down. * The first book on Geometric Algebra for programmers in computer graphics and entertainment computing * Written by leaders in the field providing essential information on this new technique for 3D graphics * This full colour book includes a website with GAViewer, a program to experiment with GA

Geometric Algebra

Geometric Algebra
Author: Emil Artin
Publisher: Courier Dover Publications
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2016-01-20
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 048680920X

This concise classic presents advanced undergraduates and graduate students in mathematics with an overview of geometric algebra. The text originated with lecture notes from a New York University course taught by Emil Artin, one of the preeminent mathematicians of the twentieth century. The Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society praised Geometric Algebra upon its initial publication, noting that "mathematicians will find on many pages ample evidence of the author's ability to penetrate a subject and to present material in a particularly elegant manner." Chapter 1 serves as reference, consisting of the proofs of certain isolated algebraic theorems. Subsequent chapters explore affine and projective geometry, symplectic and orthogonal geometry, the general linear group, and the structure of symplectic and orthogonal groups. The author offers suggestions for the use of this book, which concludes with a bibliography and index.

Classical Mechanics

Classical Mechanics
Author: Peeter Joot
Publisher: Peeter Joot
Total Pages: 449
Release:
Genre: Science
ISBN:

This is a collection of notes on classical mechanics, and contains a few things • A collection of miscellaneous notes and problems for my personal (independent) classical mechanics studies. A fair amount of those notes were originally in my collection of Geometric (Clifford) Algebra related material so may assume some knowledge of that subject. • My notes for some of the PHY354 lectures I attended. That class was taught by Prof. Erich Poppitz. I audited some of the Wednesday lectures since the timing was convenient. I took occasional notes, did the first problem set, and a subset of problem set 2. These notes, when I took them, likely track along with the Professor’s hand written notes very closely, since his lectures follow his notes very closely. • Some assigned problems from the PHY354 course, ungraded (not submitted since I did not actually take the course). I ended up only doing the first problem set and two problems from the second problem set. • Miscellaneous worked problems from other sources.