Quaternion definitions

kwə-tûr'nē-ən
A set of four persons or items.
noun
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A set of four.
noun
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Any number of the form a + bi + cj + dk where a, b, c, and d are real numbers, ij = k, i2 = j2 = −1, and ij = − ji. Under addition and multiplication, quaternions have all the properties of a field, except multiplication is not commutative.
noun
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An expression that is the sum of four terms, one of which is real and three of which contain imaginary units, and that can be written as the sum of a scalar and a three-dimensional vector.
noun
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Any number of the form a + bi + cj + dk where a, b, c, and d are real numbers, ij = k, i2 = j2 = −1, and ij = − ji. Under addition and multiplication, quaternions have all the properties of a field, except that multiplication is not commutative.
4
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A group or set of four people or things.
noun
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A word of four syllables.
noun
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(mathematics) A four-dimensional hypercomplex number that consists of a real dimension and 3 imaginary ones (i, j, k) that are each a square root of -1. They are commonly used in vector mathematics and in calculating the rotation of three-dimensional objects.
noun
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Origin of quaternion

Middle English quaternioun from Late Latin quaterniō quaterniōn- from Latin quaternī by fours from quater four times kwetwer- in Indo-European roots