Gary D Simpson
Gary D. Simpson | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Houston, Texas, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | wave mechanics, special relativity, quaternions |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, Mathematics |
Gary D. Simpson is an American retired chemical engineer and independent researcher based in Houston, Texas, who writes on theoretical physics and mathematics. He is known for his work applying quaternions to problems in wave mechanics and special relativity, which he has published through the viXra e-print archive and presented in essay contests organized by the Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi).
Biography
Simpson was trained as a chemical engineer and describes himself as a retired engineer with a longstanding interest in mathematics and physics, and in quaternions in particular. Working independently of any academic institution, he has developed and circulated a series of papers on quaternion mathematics and wave-based models of physics, and has taken part in the online discussion forums and essay competitions run by the Foundational Questions Institute (FQXi).
Work
Simpson's writings center on the use of quaternions and vector methods in physics and mathematics. In an early series of papers he proposed a vector solution to the spherical wave equation based on three-dimensional forms of Euler's equation, incorporating a rotation of the wave medium, and extended this into models he described in terms of a "wave medium" relating to the electron, the proton, and special relativity.
A second strand of his work concerns the mathematics of quaternions themselves. In "Matrices and Quaternions" he presented a mathematical structure consisting of a matrix whose elements are quaternions, which he distinguished from a tensor. His multi-part "Quaternion Dynamics" series set out definitions for quaternion functions of a quaternion, including polynomial and exponential functions together with their derivatives and integrals, and later examined identities, octonions, and related constructions.
His essays "Five Part Harmony", "Four Squares", and related pieces were submitted to FQXi essay contests, where they were discussed in the institute's community forums.