Carl Anton Bretschneider

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Carl Anton Bretschneider (born May 27, 1808 in Schneeberg ; † November 6, 1878 in Gotha ) was a German mathematician and lawyer .

Life

His autocratic father Karl Gottlieb Bretschneider

Carl Anton Bretschneider was the son of the then famous theologian and pastor Karl Gottlieb Bretschneider and Charlotte Hauschild from Altenburg . In 1816 his father was transferred to Gotha as general superintendent and senior consistorial councilor , where he was significantly active in literature until his death. Here Carl Anton attended the Akademisches Gymnasium Gymnasium illustre (later the famous Gymnasium Ernestinum ). He is described as a conscientious and hardworking student and, at the request of his father , took private lessons in Latin from the philologist Friedrich Wilhelm Döring (1756–1837). However, his inner interest drew him to mathematical, physical, geographical and historical studies. He cut himself off from his peers in order to find the necessary time for it. In all classes he was the best pupil of the mathematician Friedrich Kries , who introduced him to higher mathematics through private lessons . At Easter 1826 he passed the Matura examination in mathematics with the highest distinction and with good in the other subjects. His great desire to study mathematics and science was not granted by his autocratic father. At that time there was a certain prejudice against such an abstract profession .

So he began to study law in Leipzig in 1826 in the hope of later transferring to the faculty of philosophy as a law university lecturer and thus to the mathematics and astronomy teaching post. He quietly studied mathematics, astronomy and physics. The contact to mathematicians Heinrich Wilhelm Brandes and August Ferdinand Möbius was helpful to him . In the first year of his studies he won first prize in a mathematical competition.

After passing a commendable exam, he was appointed Royal Saxon Notary in Leipzig. In the summer of 1830 he was appointed private lecturer in law by the law faculty. In the following semesters he gave lectures on Roman legal history and German law at Leipzig University. Brandes and Möbius, who initially studied law for several years and was an observer at the Leipzig observatory , got him a position as adjunct there , which he had to turn down on his father's orders. Since 1829 he has been preparing himself for teaching his favorite subjects with extensive private lessons in mathematics and physics.

Due to an illness that was allegedly caused by the dull Leipzig climate, he returned to his father's house in Gotha at the end of 1831 on the advice of the doctors. Only the astute general practitioner opened his father's eyes. In autumn 1835 he gave his son complete freedom in choosing a career.

Due to the elapsed time, he said goodbye to his favorite wish, the academic teaching post. As late as 1835, as a mathematical assistant teacher at the grammar school illustrious , he took part of his lessons from the aging Kries, doing brilliant teaching tests for the public education office. Already Easter 1836 he got a job as a school teacher at the newly established secondary school in Gotha for mathematics and geography. In 1859 he was appointed professor at Gothaer Gymnasium illustrious and remained there until his death in 1878. He was also appointed ducal councilor .

For the city of Gotha he made himself non-profit in the city council, and he was master of the chair in the Freemason lodge Ernst zum Compass .

As a family man, he was married three times after his first two wives died. From 1872, a physical ailment hampered his creative power. His son Alfred published an obituary in 1879.

In the mathematical field he dealt with geometry, number theory, the integral logarithm and the history of geometry. In 1837 he introduced the name for Euler's constant in mathematics. In addition, the Bretschneider formula is named after him.

Fonts

literature

  • Karl August rule: memorial speech for Carl Anton Bretschneider in the auditorium of the Ernestinum grammar school on January 15, 1879 . In: Program of the Herzogliche Gymnasium Ernestinum zu Gotha as an invitation to participate in the examination of all classes to be held on March 31st . Gotha, Engelhard-Reyer Hofbuchdruckerei, 1879, pp. 1–10 (with list of publications). JFM 11.0027.03
  • Alfred Bretschneider: Carl Anton Bretschneider. A memorial sheet for his friends and students . In: Journal for Mathematics and Physics , 24 - Historical-literary department, 1879, pp. 73–91. JFM 11.00 27.04

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heinz-Horst Schrey:  Bretschneider, Karl Gottlieb. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 2, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1955, ISBN 3-428-00183-4 , p. 603 ( digitized version ).
  2. ^ Max Schneider: The high school graduates of the illustrious high school in Gotha from 1768-1859 . No. 756
personal data
SURNAME Bretschneider, Carl Anton
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German mathematician and lawyer
DATE OF BIRTH May 27, 1808
PLACE OF BIRTH Schneeberg
DATE OF DEATH November 6, 1878
Place of death Gotha