Cliffordians or Cliffhangers, Study Group on Geometric Algebra

Probable Next meeting: 6:30PM Friday, May 22, 2009 in ST256
ST is the Charlene Nunley, Student Service Center, 7625 Fenton Street     

Old humans, at the moment only old men, but we are not adverse to old women joining us: Alan Bromborsky, Michael Brabanski, Jack Gaffey, Walter Faust, and Harold Williams (host) and now joined by Wayne Warren.  The core group are all NCA, National Capital Astronomers, members, but this is not about astronomy.  The core group could be described vocationally as engineers, mathematicians, and physicist.  They are all interested in the way the universe works and how it might be modeled mathematically.

Younger humans, Montgomery College students who have attended some of these meetings: Alpha Bada, Ian McIntire, Lorena Aries, Georgio Mori-Block, Ahadu Tilahun, Daman Camara, Leah Gold, Tony Johnson, Chris Leeney, and Cassidy Farrel.  A group of files on Geometric Algebra collected by Alan Bromborsky most written by others, but some written by Alan is here.  Our study guide for now is the latest introGA4-24-2009.pdf  file, which is titled "An introduction to Geometric Algebra and Calculus" by Alan Bromborsky.  Another file written by Alan Bromborsky with just the Geometric Algebra part with out the Calculus part is at file and is titled "An Introduction to Geometric Algebra."  It is very similar to the first part of the previous document but it does have one diagarm that is some what different on page 23 and may help some people understand the geometry in the Euclidean case.  We have been applying Geomatric Algebra to solve some problems, we used the document GAexamples.pdf.  A  file in the GA-SIG directory is GA&GC.pdf and its title is "A Survey of Geometric Algebra and Geometric Calculus" by Alan Macdonald of Luther College, Decorah, Iowa so you can see these idea have even spread to Iowa.  So it is time we caught up with the dark side of the moon, if they know it in Iowa, where the corn grows, then Arkansaw and Mississippi, where the cotton grows, can not be far behind!  What is it that we grow in Maryland besides brilliant students?  This document is only 26 pages long with another 4 pages of web links and other references.  It also says on the first page:
“The principal argument for the adoption of geometric algebra is that it provides
a single, simple mathematical framework which eliminates the plethora of diverse
mathematical descriptions and techniques it would otherwise be necessary to learn.”
[9] McRobie, F. A. and J. Lasenby (1999). Simo-Vu Quoc Rods using Clifford Algebra,
Int. J. Numer. Meth. Eng. 45, 377–398.
Furthermore this is true.

Rules:  Old humans pay for their meals that we order to be delivered to the meeting room, younger humans (college students) eat for free.   Coffee and tea and sometimes cake or cookies, a white board, computer with Internet link, and computer video projector are in the  room that we meet in.   We  generally start  by listen to a little  music while eating and then start studying and asking questions.  Lately the music has been by Utah Phillips, a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and self-described "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest".  We are clearly corrupter's of the youth just as Socrates was.  Anyone who is free when we meet and is interested in our study of Geometric Algebra is welcome.  Many more people have been invited by a factor of several than have ever showed up, mostly mathematics and physics faculty from all of the campuses of Montgomery College and students from the "Science Adventure Club" that Harold Williams is the adviser.  Currently we are learning to multiply Multivectors (vectors) in a Linear Space (sometimes called a vector space) over a scaler Fields a Clifford Algebra.  This has great application in engineering, computer science (vision), and physics. 
Meetings in the 2007-2008 Academic year
5:30PM Friday, September 14, 2007 at Mayorga Coffee Factory
6PM Friday, October 5, 2007 at ST301
6PM Friday, October 26, 2007 at ST301
6PM Friday, November 16, 2007 at ST301 directory of pictures from my crummy cell phone camera during this meeting, but very informative about what we do.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007 University of MD at College Park Physics Colloquia attended by old humans given by Sean Carroll notes.
6PM Friday, December 7, 2007 at ST301 directory of pictures from my crummy cell phone camera during this meeting, but very informative about what we do.
Noon Friday, January 4, 2008 at ST256, classes have not restarted
6PM Friday, January 11, 2008 at ST256, classes have not restarted
6:30PM Friday, February 15, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, February 22, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, March 21, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, March 28, 2008 at ST256 a directory of pictures taken on this date with my wife's digital camera.
6:30PM Friday, April 18, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, April 25, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, May 16, 2008 at ST256 after college commencement!  We will decide on future dates this summer.
6:30PM Friday, May 30, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, June 13, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, June 27, 2008 at ST256 
6:30PM Friday, July 25, 2008 at ST256 
18 meeting completed the first academic year studing Geometric (Clifford) Algebra!
Meeting in the 20008-2009 Academic year
6:30PM Friday, September 5, 2008 at ST256  We started on Geometrical Calculus, we only got the first two pages done so you can catch up we spent a lot of time reviewing with a new MC student Cassidy Ferrel, who is also in the US Army.  Wayne Warren and Walter Faust were absent so being Faustless we also did not cover as much material as carefully as when we have Walter Faust!  We had two MC students as Chris Leeney was also with us.  Our leader Alan Bromborsky and our host Harold Williams is always there and Michael Brabanski and Jack Gaffey were also in attendance.
6:30PM Friday, September 19, 2008 at ST256  We shall continue Geometrical Calculus!
6:30PM Friday, September 26, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, November 7, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, November 21, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, December 12, 2008 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, January 9, 2009 at ST256  a directory of pictures taken won this date.
6:30PM Friday, January 30, 2009 at ST256 canceled on account of two essential members feeling poorly.
6:30PM Friday, February 20, 2009 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, March 27, 2009 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, April 10 (Good Friday), 2009 at ST256
6:30PM Friday, April 24, 2009 at ST256
  Future dates! 
6:30PM Friday, May 22, 2009 at ST256 Possible?
Links:
Geometric Algebra Net at University of Amsterdam, Computer Scientist; support for the excellent book "Geometric Algebra for Computer Science, an object oriented approach to Geometry"
Geometric Calculus: David Hestenes and Group at the University of Arizonia, Physicist
Geometric Algebra for Physicist: Chris Doran and Anthony Lasenby at Cambridge University
Scientific Python recommended by Alan Bromborsky
Python(x,y): Free scientific and engineering development software, recommended by Alan Bromborsky
Applied Geometric Algebra by László Tisza is Professor of Physics Emeritus at MIT, where he began teaching in 1941. This online publication is a reproduction the original lecture notes for the course "Applied Geometric Algebra" taught by Professor Tisza in the Spring of 1976 in MITOpenCourseware.  This was found by Cassidy Ferrel, MC student participant in our Geometric Algebra Study group.

Montgomery College's Planetarium home page.

web page by Dr. Harold Williams, last modified 11:19PM Sunday May 3,  2009.