Christian Wiener

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Ludwig Christian Wiener (* December 7, 1826 in Darmstadt , † July 31, 1896 in Karlsruhe ) was a German mathematician , physicist and philosopher , known for his explanation of the Brownian movement , which identified him as a skilled experimenter . He was mainly concerned with geometry .

life and work

Wiener was the son of a judge and from 1843 studied architecture and engineering in Giessen. After passing the state examination in 1848 he became a teacher (for physics, hydraulics, mechanics and descriptive geometry) at the higher trade school (later polytechnic) in Darmstadt.

In 1850 he received his doctorate in mathematics in Gießen ( specific solution to the task by distributing a print to more than three bases ), then went to Karlsruhe to study mechanical engineering with Ferdinand Redtenbacher , returned shortly to Gießen and became professor for descriptive geometry in 1852 the TH Karlsruhe (then Polytechnikum), which he remained until the end of his career.

From 1884 to 1887 his textbook on Descriptive Geometry, which was widely used at the time, was published, which also dealt with the history of the subject and provides accuracy estimates of geometric constructions. In Karlsruhe he also produced various mathematical models, including the cubic surface with 27 real straight lines (Cleb's diagonal surface). His models, some of which were made at the suggestion of Alfred Clebsch , were also exhibited internationally at the time.

Wiener explained the Brownian motion discovered in 1828 by the English botanist Robert Brown , the trembling motion of small suspended particles in liquids, as a result of the molecular motions of the liquid. Through experiments, Wiener was able to show that the cause was neither in temperature fluctuations nor in chemical reactions or even (as Brown still assumed) in biological causes. He also ruled out evaporation, mutual attraction and repulsion of the suspended particles or mechanical causes when the drop touched down and other possibilities. Wiener was able to show, however, that the trembling movement increased the smaller the suspended particles were.

As an applied mathematician, he also dealt with the problem of escaping a labyrinth (1873), dealt with cartography, investigated the possibility of geometrically determining the direction of view in portrait paintings, and other topics of painting. He also wrote philosophical works.

His son Hermann Wiener was also a mathematician who studied with his father and was also his assistant for a time. His nephew Alexander von Brill is also one of his students .

Honors

In 1888 he was elected a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina .

Fonts

  • Textbook of descriptive geometry , 2 volumes, Teubner, Leipzig 1884, 1887, online at archiv.org: Volume 1 , Volume 2
  • The first sentences of knowledge, especially the law of causation and the reality of the external world , Berlin, Lüderitz 1874
  • The freedom of the will , Darmstadt, Brill 1894
  • The basics of the world order , Leipzig, winter 1863, on google.books here
  • online at archiv.org: On polygons and polygons , Teubner 1864

literature

Web links

Notes and individual references

  1. ^ Wiener: " Explanation of the atomistic nature of the drippable liquid body state and confirmation of the same by the so-called molecular movements ", Poggendorffs Annalen, Vol. 118, 1863, pp. 79–94
  2. ↑ He assumed more precisely that the trembling movement was a preliminary stage of the constant movement observed in living organisms
  3. ↑ for example: Wiener, Investigations into the reflective effects of colored surfaces in painting studios, negotiations of natural science. Karlsruhe Association, Braun 1881
  4. ^ List of members Leopoldina, Christian Wiener
personal data
SURNAME Wiener, Christian
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wiener, Ludwig Christian
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German mathematician
DATE OF BIRTH December 7, 1826
PLACE OF BIRTH Darmstadt
DATE OF DEATH July 31, 1896
Place of death Karlsruhe