Quatérnios: indo além dos números complexos

Abstract

The present work discusses, from a historical perspective, the existence of quatérnios, a numerical field broader than complex numbers. The work also presents concepts and a historical rescue of complex numbers, in addition to entering into the debate about a possible relevance of the study of quatérnios in mathematics courses. More specifically, the objectives of this work are: to synthesize bibliographic materials related to our object of study, to build an initial understanding of quatérnios, including mathematical aspects and applications, and to reflect on the role of quatérnios in the development of mathematical knowledge. Considering the listed objectives, our methodological procedures are anchored in a descriptive type of qualitative approach, through a literature review of the literature. As central results, we show that the creation of quatérnios expanded and consolidated mathematical abstraction, particularly in the field of Algebra, in addition to allowing applications in several areas such as computer graphics and quantum mechanics.