This is a two-part thesis. The first part is a generalization of vector calculus tools to Minkowski Space, a non-Euclidean 3-dimensional geometry that has a distance function that is not positive definite. We orient a cube in Minkowski Space using the generalized Stokes' Theorem to relate a divergence integral to...
Constructions using only a straightedge and compass are basic tools in any geometer's toolbox. We show how to construct an elliptic straightedge and compass in the Klein Disk model of (single) elliptic geometry, using only a Euclidean compass and straightedge.
I construct and examine the properties of Lie and Clifford algebras which are used to describe certain types of particles. These algebras are then related to the traditional theory of division algebras. Quaternions are applied to these algebras and their properties are exploited to model physical properties of particles. The...
Junior level physics students are familiar with a few types of vector field derivatives, such as divergence and curl, but are typically unfamiliar with how to take a general derivative of a vector field. Three junior-level physics students were interviewed with the open-ended prompt, “How would you think about taking...
The goal of this paper is to classify linear operators with octonionic coefficients and octonionic variables. While building up to the octonions we also classify linear operators over the quaternions and show how to relate the linear operators over the quaternions and octonions to matrices. We also construct a basis...
We analyze some symmetries of the octonionic multiplication table, expressed in terms of the Fano plane. In particular, we count how many ways the Fano plane can be labeled as the octonionic multiplication table, all corresponding to a specified octonion algebra. We show that only 28 of these labelings of...
The nonlinear Schrödinger equation is a well-known partial differential equation that provides a successful model in nonlinear optic theory, as well as other applications. In this dissertation, following a survey of mathematical literature, the geometric theory of differential equations is applied to the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The main result of...
Representations of SO(4,2;R) are constructed using 4 x 4 and 2 x 2 matrices with elements in H' ⊗ C . Using 2 x 2 matrix representations of C and H', the 4 x 4 representation is interpreted in terms of 16 x 16 real matrices. Finally, the known isomorphism...