Karl Christian von Langsdorf
Encyclopedia
Karl Christian von Langsdorf, also known as Carl Christian von Langsdorff, (18 May 1757 in Nauheim
– 10 June 1834 in Heidelberg
) was a German
mathematician
, geologist
, natural scientist and engineer
.
). He had a twin brother named Daniel Isaak. After finishing Gymnasium
(secondary school) in Idstein
in 1773, Langsdorf studied, among other things, philosophy
, law
, and mathematics
at Georg-August University of Göttingen
from 1774 until autumn of 1776 with Abraham Gotthelf Kästner
and then until 1777 at the University of Giessen
. He then interned at the saltworks in Salzhausen
, and subsequently devoted himself in Nidda, Hesse to the study of saltworks. He finished his doctorate in 1781 in Erfurt
.
In the summer semester of 1781, he was an outside lecturer at Giessen. For health reasons however, he decided against an academic career. He pursued a career in administration and became Rentmeister and land judge in Mülheim an der Ruhr
. Starting in 1784, he was active as a saltworks inspector in Gerabronn
(near Rothenburg ob der Tauber
), which belonged to the margravate of Ansbach at the time.
In 1798, he was given a full professorship in mechanical engineering at Erlangen
. He taught there until 1804 and he subjected the 15-year old Georg Ohm
to a thorough examination of his knowledge of mathematics. Ohm and his younger brother were instructed in mathematics by their father.
He refused an offer from Heidelberg in 1803 and accepted an offer to teach mathematics and technology at Vilnius University
. In Russia, he and his family were elevated into the hereditary aristocracy. In 1806, he returned with the aristocratic descriptor von
and became (with the help of his older brother Gottlieb, the governor of Dilsburg) full professor in Heidelberg.
The mathematical physics class of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences admitted him to its ranks as a non-local member in 1808. Langsdorf left the University of Erlangen in early 1809 to take up a post in the University of Heidelberg
.
Langsdorf was also very interested in theological questions and published several works on this topic.
His brother, Johann Wilhelm, made a name for himself as a specialist in the area of saltworks engineering.
Bad Nauheim
Bad Nauheim is a town in the Wetteraukreis district of Hesse state of Germany. , Bad Nauheim has a population of 30,365. The town is located approximately 35 kilometers north of Frankfurt am Main, on the east edge of the Taunus mountain range. It is a world-famous resort, noted for its salt...
– 10 June 1834 in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, natural scientist and engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
.
Life
Langsdorf was the son of Georg Melchior Langsdorff and Maria Margarethe Koch. His father was saltworks archivist and Hesse-Hanau Rentmeister (master of the bursary) (saltworks of NauheimNauheim
Nauheim is a community in Groß-Gerau district in Hesse, Germany.- Location :Nauheim lies 3 km northwest of the district seat of Groß-Gerau 16 km northwest of Darmstadt and 6 km southeast of Rüsselsheim. After the Second World War, many instrument makers from the Sudetenland such as W...
). He had a twin brother named Daniel Isaak. After finishing Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
(secondary school) in Idstein
Idstein
Idstein is a town of about 25,000 inhabitants in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Because of its well preserved historical Altstadt it is part of the Deutsche Fachwerkstraße , connecting towns with fine timber-frame buildings and...
in 1773, Langsdorf studied, among other things, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at Georg-August University of Göttingen
Georg-August University of Göttingen
The University of Göttingen , known informally as Georgia Augusta, is a university in the city of Göttingen, Germany.Founded in 1734 by King George II of Great Britain and the Elector of Hanover, it opened for classes in 1737. The University of Göttingen soon grew in size and popularity...
from 1774 until autumn of 1776 with Abraham Gotthelf Kästner
Abraham Gotthelf Kästner
Abraham Gotthelf Kästner was a German mathematician and epigrammatist.He was known in his professional life for writing textbooks and compiling encyclopedias rather than for original research. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg was one of his doctoral students, and admired the man greatly. He became...
and then until 1777 at the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
. He then interned at the saltworks in Salzhausen
Salzhausen
Salzhausen is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 40 km southeast of Hamburg, and 15 km west of Lüneburg....
, and subsequently devoted himself in Nidda, Hesse to the study of saltworks. He finished his doctorate in 1781 in Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
.
In the summer semester of 1781, he was an outside lecturer at Giessen. For health reasons however, he decided against an academic career. He pursued a career in administration and became Rentmeister and land judge in Mülheim an der Ruhr
Mülheim
Mülheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen...
. Starting in 1784, he was active as a saltworks inspector in Gerabronn
Gerabronn
Gerabronn is a small town in the district Schwäbisch Hall, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2006 it has a population of about 4547 and covers an area of 40.38 km²....
(near Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken , the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City...
), which belonged to the margravate of Ansbach at the time.
In 1798, he was given a full professorship in mechanical engineering at Erlangen
Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg
The Universität Erlangen Nürnberg is a university in the cities of Erlangen and Nuremberg in Bavaria, Germany. It is the second largest state university in Bavaria, having five Schools, 308 chairs, and 12,000 employees. There are 28,735 students enrolled at the university, of which about 2/3 are...
. He taught there until 1804 and he subjected the 15-year old Georg Ohm
Georg Ohm
Georg Simon Ohm was a German physicist. As a high school teacher, Ohm began his research with the recently-invented electrochemical cell, invented by Italian Count Alessandro Volta. Using equipment of his own creation, Ohm determined that there is a direct proportionality between the potential...
to a thorough examination of his knowledge of mathematics. Ohm and his younger brother were instructed in mathematics by their father.
He refused an offer from Heidelberg in 1803 and accepted an offer to teach mathematics and technology at Vilnius University
Vilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
. In Russia, he and his family were elevated into the hereditary aristocracy. In 1806, he returned with the aristocratic descriptor von
Von
In German, von is a preposition which approximately means of or from.When it is used as a part of a German family name, it is usually a nobiliary particle, like the French, Spanish and Portuguese "de". At certain times and places, it has been illegal for anyone who was not a member of the nobility...
and became (with the help of his older brother Gottlieb, the governor of Dilsburg) full professor in Heidelberg.
The mathematical physics class of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences admitted him to its ranks as a non-local member in 1808. Langsdorf left the University of Erlangen in early 1809 to take up a post in the University of Heidelberg
Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg
The Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is a public research university located in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386, it is the oldest university in Germany and was the third university established in the Holy Roman Empire. Heidelberg has been a coeducational institution...
.
Langsdorf was also very interested in theological questions and published several works on this topic.
His brother, Johann Wilhelm, made a name for himself as a specialist in the area of saltworks engineering.
Selected works
In German- Erläuterungen der Kästnerschen Analysis endlicher Größen, 1776–1777
- Drey oekonomisch-physikalisch-mathematische Abhandlungen, 1785
- Physisch-mathematische Abhandlungen über Gegenstände der Wärmelehre, 1796
- Handbuch der Maschinenlehre für Praktiker und akademische Lehrer, 1797
- Lehrbuch der Hydraulik mit beständiger Rücksicht auf die Erfahrung, 1794–1796
- Der Strumpfwirkerstuhl und sein Gebrauch, 1805
- Erläuterung höchstwichtiger Lehren der Technologie, 1807
- Principia calculi differentialis a fundamentis novis iisque solidioribus deducta (= Neue und gründlichere Darstellung der Prinzipien der Differentialrechnung), 1807
- Über Newtons, Eulers, Kästners und Konsorten Pfuschereien in der Mathematik, 1807
- Arithmetische Abhandlungen über juristische, staats- und forstwirthschaftliche Fragen, Mortalität, Bevölkerung und chronologische Bestimmungen, 1810
Literature
In German- Walter Volk: Karl Christian von Langsdorf, Philippsburg i.B. 1934; his life and works.
- Dagmar Drüll: Carl Christian Langsdorf, Heidelberger Gelehrtenlexikon, Vol. 2, Heidelberg 1803–1932, 1986; p. 155–156.
- ADBAllgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche Biographie is one of the most important and most comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language....
, Entry on Georg Simon Ohm, Vol. 24, p. 187. - ADBAllgemeine Deutsche BiographieAllgemeine Deutsche Biographie is one of the most important and most comprehensive biographical reference works in the German language....
: Günther: Karl Christian von Langsdorf, Vol. 17, p. 691–692.
External links
- Karl Christian von Langsdorf at the Mathematics Genealogy ProjectMathematics Genealogy ProjectThe Mathematics Genealogy Project is a web-based database for the academic genealogy of mathematicians. As of September, 2010, it contained information on approximately 145,000 mathematical scientists who contribute to "research-level mathematics"...