"It is nearly irresistible to ask if the octonions, \mathbb O, the last of the set of four normed division algebras over \mathbb R, have a calling in nature. Certainly several have thought so, but for the most part, the octonions have remained as a well kept secret from mainstream physics. More often than not, the octonions are passed by in haste because they are non-associative, and hence at times temperamental. As we will show, this property is in fact a gift, which will offer a way to streamline some of the standard model’s complex structure."
January 1, 1970