Euler's Four-Square Identity

Identity

The Four-Square Identity, credited to Leonhard Euler, states that for any eight complex numbers $x_1,x_2, x_3, x_4, y_1, y_2, y_3, y_4$ , we must have $(x_1^2+ x_2^2 + x_3 ^2 + x_4^2)(y_1^2+y_2^2+y_3^2+y_4^2)$ $=(x_1y_1+x_2y_2+x_3y_3+x_4y_4)^2$ $+(x_1y_2-x_2y_1+x_3y_4-x_4y_3)^2$ $+(x_1y_3-x_3y_1+x_4y_2-x_2y_4)^2$ $+(x_1y_4-x_4y_1 + x_2y_3 - x_3y_2)^2.$

Proof

First, let us expand the left-hand side of the identity: $(x_1^2+x_2^2+x_3^2+x_4^2)(y_1^2+y_2^2+y_3^2+y_4^2) = x_1^2 \cdot (y_1^2+y_2^2+y_3^2+y_4^2) + x_2^2 \cdot (y_1^2+y_2^2+y_3^2+y_4^2) + x_3^2 \cdot (y_1^2+y_2^2+y_3^2+y_4^2) + x_4^2 \cdot (y_1^2+y_2^2+y_3^2+y_4^2)$ $= x_1^2 y_1^2 + x_1^2 y_2^2 + x_1^2 y_3^2 + x_1^2 y_4^2 + x_2^2 y_1^2 + x_2^2 y_2^2 + x_2^2 y_3^2 + x_2^2 y_4^2 + x_3^2 y_1^2 + x_3^2 y_2^2 + x_3^2 y_3^2 + x_3^2 y_4^2 + x_4^2 y_1^2 + x_4^2 y_2^2 + x_4^2 y_3^2 + x_4^2 y_4^2.$ Thus, we have $(x_1^2+x_2^2+x_3^2+x_4^2)(y_1^2+y_2^2+y_3^2+y_4^2) = x_1^2 y_1^2 + x_1^2 y_2^2 + x_1^2 y_3^2 + x_1^2 y_4^2$ $+ x_2^2 y_1^2 + x_2^2 y_2^2 + x_2^2 y_3^2 + x_2^2 y_4^2$ $+ x_3^2 y_1^2 + x_3^2 y_2^2 + x_3^2 y_3^2 + x_3^2 y_4^2$ $+ x_4^2 y_1^2 + x_4^2 y_2^2 + x_4^2 y_3^2 + x_4^2 y_4^2. \text{ (1)}$

Now,

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Euler's Four-Square Identity

Identity

Proof