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[-] codexarcanum@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

It gets worse actually. You can define a number system using any power of 2 amount of i-like units in a similar relationship to quaternions using the Cayley-Dickson construction

Fascinatingly, you lose some property of the algebra at each step. Quaternions aren't commutative: ABC != CBA. Octonians aren't associative: (AB)C != A(BC). Once you get into 16 i's with subscripts, it really gets crazy.

(Also, I just got the joke. Damnit @HappyFrog@lemmy.blahaj.zone your serious answer threw me off!)

[-] HappyFrog 4 points 3 weeks ago

Hehe, yeah, the joke was too good :P

this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2025
786 points (100.0% liked)

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