grandes-ecoles 2014 QII.A.1
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For $(a, b) \in \mathbb{C}^2$, we denote by $M(a, b)$ the square complex matrix $M(a, b) = \left( \begin{array}{cc} a & -b \\ \bar{b} & \bar{a} \end{array} \right) \in \mathcal{M}_2(\mathbb{C})$. A matrix of the form $M(a, b)$ will be called a quaternion. We will consider in particular the quaternions $e = I_2 = M(1, 0)$, $I = M(0, 1)$, $J = M(\mathrm{i}, 0)$, $K = M(0, -\mathrm{i})$ and we will denote by $\mathbb{H} = \{M(a, b) \mid (a, b) \in \mathbb{C}^2\}$ the subset of $\mathcal{M}_2(\mathbb{C})$ consisting of all quaternions. We equip the set $\mathcal{C} = \mathcal{M}_2(\mathbb{C})$ of complex matrices with two rows and two columns with addition $+$, multiplication $\times$ in the usual sense, and multiplication by a real number denoted $\cdot$. a) Give, without justification, a basis and the dimension of $\mathcal{C}$ over the field $\mathbb{R}$. b) Show that $\mathbb{H}$ is a real vector subspace of $\mathcal{C}$ and that $\{e, I, J, K\}$ is a basis for it over the field $\mathbb{R}$. c) Show that $\mathbb{H}$ is stable under multiplication.