Dimensioned algebra: mathematics with physical quantities

DOI10.1007/S44007-022-00034-XzbMATH Open1506.18007arXiv2108.08703OpenAlexW3194985417MaRDI QIDQ2105784FDOQ2105784

Authors: Carlos Zapata-Carratala 

Publication date: 8 December 2022

Published in: La Matematica (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: A rigorous mathematical theory of dimensional analysis, systematically accounting for the use of physical quantities in science and engineering, perhaps surprisingly, was not developed until relatively recently. We claim that this has shaped current mathematical models of theoretical physics, which generally lack any explicit reference to units of measurement, and we propose a novel mathematical framework to alleviate this. Our proposal is a generalization of the usual categories of algebraic structures used to formulate physical theories (groups, rings, vector spaces...), herein dubbed dimensioned, that can naturally articulate the structure of physical dimension. Our goal in the present work is not so much to define an algebraic theory of physical quantities - this has already been done - but to define a theory of algebra informed by how physical quantities are used in practice. We conclude by studying the dimensioned analogue of Poisson algebras in some detail due to their relevance in Jacobi geometry and classical mechanics. These topics are further explored in sequel papers by the author.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/2108.08703

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zbMATH Keywords

category theoryobservablescommutative algebramathematical physicsmetrology

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Physics (00A79) Applications of commutative algebra (e.g., to statistics, control theory, optimization, etc.) (13P25) Special categories (18B99) Algebraic geometry methods for problems in mechanics (70G55)

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• Dirac-Jacobi bundles
• An algebraic approach to physical scales
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Cited In (12)

• The algebraic structure of physical quantities
• Linear algebra of reduced units and discussion of temperature parameters in scientific computations
• Scalable monoids and quantity calculus
• On augmented dimensional analysis
• Algebraic equations determining quantum dimensions
• A new look at dimensional analysis from a group theoretical viewpoint
• An algebraic approach to physical scales
• Jacobi geometry and Hamiltonian mechanics: The unit-free approach
• Qualitative vs quantitative conceptions of homogeneity in nineteenth century dimensional analysis
• The Mathematics of Physical Quantities: Part I: Mathematical Models for Measurement
• Mathematical structure of physical quantities
• Mathematical Foundations of the Dimensional Method

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