An historical review of the theoretical development of rigid body displacements from Rodrigues parameters to the finite twist (Q2581740)

This paper is a review of theoretical developments of rigid body displacement over the last few centuries starting with the works of Mozzi (1763), Euler (1770), Chasles (1830), Rodrigues (1840) and Cayley (1843). The progress in the study of the rigid body displacements in this period and after that is traced in some detail. The applications of quaternions, biquartenions, dual angles, and screws involved in the representation of rotational motion are shortly discussed, and various historical, mathematical and philosophical comments are made by the way. The paper ends with a discussion of various developments of the finite screw displacement and finite twist representation in the second half of the 20th century.