Concept information
Preferred term
exterior algebra
Definition(s)
- In mathematics, the exterior algebra, or Grassmann algebra, named after Hermann Grassmann, is an algebra that uses the exterior product or wedge product as its multiplication. In mathematics, the exterior product or wedge product of vectors is an algebraic construction used in geometry to study areas, volumes, and their higher-dimensional analogues. The exterior product of two vectors u and v, denoted by u ∧ v , is called a bivector and lives in a space called the exterior square, a vector space that is distinct from the original space of vectors. The magnitude of u ∧ v can be interpreted as the area of the parallelogram with sides u and v, which in three dimensions can also be computed using the cross product of the two vectors. More generally, all parallel plane surfaces with the same orientation and area have the same bivector as a measure of their oriented area. Like the cross product, the exterior product is anticommutative, meaning that u ∧ v = − ( v ∧ u ) for all vectors u and v, but, unlike the cross product, the exterior product is associative. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exterior_algebra)
Broader concept(s)
Synonym(s)
- Grassmann algebra
In other languages
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French
-
algèbre de Grassmann
URI
http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/MDL-HS58S6NJ-S
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