A generalization of the parallelogram law to higher dimensions

We propose a generalization of the parallelogram identity in any dimension N 65 2, establishing the ratio of the quadratic mean of the diagonals to the quadratic mean of the faces of a parallelotope. The proof makes use of simple properties of the exterior product of vectors

The vector algebra war: a historical perspective

There are a wide variety of different vector formalisms currently utilized in engineering and physics. For example, Gibbs' three-vectors, Minkowski four-vectors, complex spinors in quantum mechanics, quaternions used to describe rigid body rotations and vectors defined in Clifford geometric algebra. With such a range of vector formalisms in use, it thus appears that there is as yet no general agreement on a vector formalism suitable for science as a whole. This is surprising, in that, one of the primary goals of nineteenth century science was to suitably describe vectors in three-dimensional space. This situation has also had the unfortunate consequence of fragmenting knowledge across many disciplines, and requiring a significant amount of time and effort in learning the various formalisms. We thus historically review the development of our various vector systems and conclude that Clifford's multivectors best fulfills the goal of describing vectorial quantities in three dimensions and providing a unified vector system for science.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, 1 tabl

Further generalizations of the parallelogram law

In a recent work of Alessandro Fonda, a generalization of the parallelogram law in any dimension $N\geq 2$ was given by considering the ratio of the quadratic mean of the measures of the $(N-1)$-dimensional diagonals to the quadratic mean of the measures of the faces of a parallelotope. In this paper, we provide a further generalization considering not only $(N-1)$-dimensional diagonals and faces, but the $k$-dimensional ones for every $1\leq k\leq N-1$

Further generalizations of the parallelogram law

In a recent work of Alessandro Fonda, a generalization of the parallelogram law in any dimension N >= 2 was given by considering the ratio of the quadratic mean of the measures of the (N - 1)-dimensional diagonals to the quadratic mean of the measures of the faces of a parallelotope. In this paper, we provide a further generalization considering not only (N - 1)-dimensional diagonals and faces, but the k-dimensional ones for every 1 <= k <= N - 1