Piet Hein (scientist)
Piet Hein (born December 16, 1905 in Copenhagen , † April 18, 1996 on Funen ) was a Danish scientist, mathematician , inventor and man of letters.
He completed his studies at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Copenhagen (later the Niels Bohr Institute ) and at Denmark's Technical University . The Yale University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1972.
Piet Hein was a direct descendant of Piet Pieterszoon Heyn , the Dutch national hero of the 16th century.
Services
Piet Hein became famous through works such as the games Hex , Tangloids , Morra , Tower , Polytaire , TacTix , Nimbi and the Somawürfel as well as thousands of self-illustrated short poems called Gruks .
In 1959 he was commissioned by the Stockholm City Council to create the ideal shape of a roundabout on a square ( Sergels Torg ) that was to be redesigned. Looking for a compromise between a rectangle (the sides of which would be parallel to the boundary of the square) and a circle (where the flow of traffic would be optimized), he achieved a combination of both using a mathematical formula by Gabriel Lamé : the superellipse and as Special case of it the supercircle .
He also promoted the use of the superellipse (also called Lamé's curve) in architecture, urban planning and (furniture) design ( Superellipse table (1964) in collaboration with Bruno Mathsson , Super Egg ). In this context he created the brand SUPERELLIPSE®.
The American science journalist Martin Gardner wrote about Piet Hein in one of his articles for Scientific American in 1965 :
- Let's look at this ... Super Egg ... An equation with the exponent 2½ and a height-width ratio of 4: 3 is sufficient. It looks like it's going to tip over, but it doesn't. This ghostly stability that the super egg possesses on both sides can be seen as a symbolism of the superelliptical balance between the rectangular and the round and is in turn a beautiful symbol for the balanced nature of people like Piet Hein who is a successful link between CP Snows create “two cultures”.
Personal
Piet Hein was married four times and had five sons from his last three marriages. [3]
- 1937: Married to Gunver Holck, divorced.
- 1942: Married to Gerda Ruth (Nena) Conheim, divorced.
- Sons: Juan Alvaro Hein, born January 9, 1943; Andrés Humberto Hein, born on December 30, 1943.
- 1947: Married to Anne Cathrina (Trine) Krøyer Pedersen, divorced.
- Son: Lars Hein, born on May 20, 1950.
- 1955: Married to Gerd Ericsson, died on November 3, 1968.
- Sons: Jotun Hein, born on July 19, 1956; Hugo Piet Hein, born on November 16, 1963.
Works
- Grooks. Borgens, Copenhagen 1998, ISBN 87-418-1079-1
- Collected Grooks I. Borgens, Copenhagen 1999, ISBN 87-21-01859-6
- Collected Grooks II. Borgens, Copenhagen 2000, ISBN 87-21-01861-8
See also
literature
- Jim Hicks: A poet with a slide rule: Piet Hein bestrides art and science. In: Life Magazine. 61/1966, pp. 55-66.
- Jim Hicks: Piet Hein bestrides Science and Arts. In: Life. 1966, pp. 210-244.
- Anne Chamberlin: King of Supershape. In: Esquire. 1/1967, pp. 111-115.
- Martin Gardner: Piet Hein's super ellipse. In: Martin Gardner: Mathematical Carnival . Ullstein, Berlin 1985, ISBN 3-550-07675-4 .
- Johan Gielis: Inventing the Circle. The geometry of nature . Geniaal Press, Antwerp 2003, ISBN 90-807756-1-4 .
Web links
- Official website of Piet Hein
- Eric W. Weisstein: Superellipse. (Wolfram MathWorld)
- Sculpture Super Egg by Piet Hein in Egeskov Park on the island of Funen in Denmark
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Hein, Piet |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Danish scientist, mathematician, inventor and man of letters |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 16, 1905 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Copenhagen , Denmark |
DATE OF DEATH | April 18, 1996 |
Place of death | Funen , Denmark |