A facet of the development of electromagnetic theory was the choice of a proper notation. This seemingly minor problem generated a large dispute from about 1880 to 1900, reaching a climax in a series of letters inNaturearguing about the relative merits of the quaternion formulation, due to Hamilton and supported by Tait, and the newer vector analysis of Gibbs and Heaviside. This quarrel was carried on at a violent level in many letters inNature.