Extension of Euler's theorem to n-dimensional spaces

• Published in: IEEE transactions on aerospace and electronic systems 1989-11, Vol.25 (6), p.903-909
• Main Author: Bar-Itzhack, I.Y.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Angular velocity; Councils; Equations; Exact sciences and technology; Geometry, differential geometry, and topology; Mathematical methods in physics; Modems; NASA; Numerical Analysis; Physics; Position measurement
• ISSN: 0018-9251; 1557-9603
• DOI: 10.1109/7.40731

Euler's theorem states that any sequence of finite rotations of a rigid body can be described as a single rotation of the body about a fixed axis in three-dimensional Euclidean space. The usual statement of the theorem in the literature cannot be extended to Euclidean spaces of other dimensions. Equivalent formulations of the theorem are given and proved in a way which does not limit them to the three-dimensional Euclidean space. Thus, the equivalent theorems hold in other dimensions. The proof of one formulation presents an algorithm which shows how to compute an angular-difference matrix that represents a single rotation which is equivalent to the sequence of rotations that have generated the final n-D orientation. This algorithm results also in a constant angular velocity which, when applied to the initial orientation, eventually yields the final orientation regardless of what angular velocity generated the latter. The extension of the theorem is demonstrated in a four-dimensional numerical example. The issue of the correct n-D representation of angular velocity is discussed.< >