William Rowan Hamilton
Physicist, Astronomer, and Mathematician
Education
William got his education at Trinity College, Dublin, Westminster School
Pictures
Major Contributions
His major Contributions were in the field of classical mechanics, algebra, and optics. Also he discovered quaternions.
Summary
In 1827 he came up with a theory called single function. This theory put together mechanics, optics, and mathematics. This helped establish the wave theory of light. One thing that was very common in Hamilton’s research was that they were based on the principle of “Varying Action.” Varying Action is a single ray of light entering a biaxial crystal at a certain angle emerged as a hollow cone of rays. Another one of his greatest contribution in the field of mathematical science was his discovery of quaternions in 1843
How he has impacted the world today
The Discovery of Quaternions is probably is his most familiar invention today. Hamilton’s quaternions said that changing the order of multiplication changes the result. Quaternions are used in computer graphics and mechanics calculation to calculate movement and rotation.