Klein's encyclopedia
Encyclopedia
In mathematics
, Klein’s encyclopedia refers to a German
mathematical encyclopedia published in six volumes from 1898 to 1933. Felix Klein
and Wilhelm Meyer were organizers of the encyclopedia. Its title in English is "Encyclopedia of mathematical sciences including their applications", which is Encyklopädie der mathematischen Wissenschaften mit Einschluss ihre Anwendungen (EMW). It is 20,000 pages in length and was published by B.G. Teubner Verlag, publisher of Mathematische Annalen
. Today, G%C3%B6ttinger Digitalisierungszentrum provides online access to all volumes, while archive.org hosts some particular parts.
Walther von Dyck
acted as chairman of the commission to publish the encyclopedia. In 1904 he contributed a preparatory report on the publication venture in which the mission statement
is given.
The preparatory report (Einleitander Bericht) serves as the Preface for the EMW.
In 1908 von Dyck reported on the project to the International Congress of Mathematicians
in Rome.
As Ivor Grattan-Guinness
observed in 2009:
Nominally, Wilhelm Franz Meyer (1956 to 1934) was the founder president of the project and assembled part 1, "Arithmetic and Algebra", that appeared between 1898 and 1904.
The "Analysis" series printed between 1900 and 1927 had coeditors Wilhelm Wirtinger
and Heinrich Burkhardt
.
Burkhardt condensed his extensive historical review of mathematical analysis
that appeared in the Jahresbericht of the German Mathematical Society
for a shorter contribution to the EMW.
Part 3 on geometry
was edited by Wilhelm Meyer. These articles were published between 1906 and 1932.
Part 4 of EMW concerned mechanics
, and was edited by Felix Klein and Conrad Müller. Arnold Sommerfeld
edited part 5 on "Physics", a series that ran until 1927.
Part 6 included two sections:
Philipp Furtwängler
and E. Weichart coedited "Geodesy and Geophysics", which ran from 1905 to 1922. Karl Schwarzchild and Samuel Oppenheim
coedited "Astronomy", publishing until 1933.
According to Grattan-Guinness, "The mathematicians at Berlin, the other main mathematical pole in Germany and a citadel for pure mathematics
, were not invited to collaborate on the EMW and are reputed to have sneered at it."
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...
, Klein’s encyclopedia refers to a German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
mathematical encyclopedia published in six volumes from 1898 to 1933. Felix Klein
Felix Klein
Christian Felix Klein was a German mathematician, known for his work in group theory, function theory, non-Euclidean geometry, and on the connections between geometry and group theory...
and Wilhelm Meyer were organizers of the encyclopedia. Its title in English is "Encyclopedia of mathematical sciences including their applications", which is Encyklopädie der mathematischen Wissenschaften mit Einschluss ihre Anwendungen (EMW). It is 20,000 pages in length and was published by B.G. Teubner Verlag, publisher of Mathematische Annalen
Mathematische Annalen
Mathematische Annalen is a German mathematical research journal founded in 1868 by Alfred Clebsch and Carl Neumann...
. Today, G%C3%B6ttinger Digitalisierungszentrum provides online access to all volumes, while archive.org hosts some particular parts.
Walther von Dyck
Walther von Dyck
Walther Franz Anton von Dyck , born Dyck and later ennobled, was a German mathematician...
acted as chairman of the commission to publish the encyclopedia. In 1904 he contributed a preparatory report on the publication venture in which the mission statement
Mission statement
A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company or organization. The mission statement should guide the actions of the organization, spell out its overall goal, provide a path, and guide decision-making...
is given.
- The mission was to present a simple and concise exposition, as complete as possible, of the body of contemporary mathematics and its consequences, while indicating with a detailed bibliography the historical development of mathematical methods from the beginning of the nineteenth century.
The preparatory report (Einleitander Bericht) serves as the Preface for the EMW.
In 1908 von Dyck reported on the project to the International Congress of Mathematicians
International Congress of Mathematicians
The International Congress of Mathematicians is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union ....
in Rome.
As Ivor Grattan-Guinness
Ivor Grattan-Guinness
Ivor Grattan-Guinness, born 23 June 1941, in Bakewell, in England, is a historian of mathematics and logic.He gained his Bachelor degree as a Mathematics Scholar at Wadham College, Oxford, got an M.Sc in Mathematical Logic and the Philosophy of Science at the London School of Economics in 1966...
observed in 2009:
- Many of the articles were the first of their kind on their topic, and several are still the last or the best. Some of them have excellent information on the deeper historical background. This is especially true of articles on applied mathematics, including engineering, which was stressed in its title.
Nominally, Wilhelm Franz Meyer (1956 to 1934) was the founder president of the project and assembled part 1, "Arithmetic and Algebra", that appeared between 1898 and 1904.
The "Analysis" series printed between 1900 and 1927 had coeditors Wilhelm Wirtinger
Wilhelm Wirtinger
Wilhelm Wirtinger was an Austrian mathematician, working in complex analysis, geometry, algebra, number theory, Lie groups and knot theory.-Biography:...
and Heinrich Burkhardt
Heinrich Burkhardt
Heinrich Friedrich Karl Ludwig Burkhardt was a German mathematician. He famously was one of the examiners of Albert Einstein's PhD thesis...
.
Burkhardt condensed his extensive historical review of mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical analysis, which mathematicians refer to simply as analysis, has its beginnings in the rigorous formulation of infinitesimal calculus. It is a branch of pure mathematics that includes the theories of differentiation, integration and measure, limits, infinite series, and analytic functions...
that appeared in the Jahresbericht of the German Mathematical Society
German Mathematical Society
The German Mathematical Society is the main professional society of German mathematicians.The society was founded on 18 September 1890.Georg Cantor was one of the founders and in his honor the society awards the Cantor medal.-External links:*...
for a shorter contribution to the EMW.
Part 3 on geometry
Geometry
Geometry arose as the field of knowledge dealing with spatial relationships. Geometry was one of the two fields of pre-modern mathematics, the other being the study of numbers ....
was edited by Wilhelm Meyer. These articles were published between 1906 and 1932.
Part 4 of EMW concerned mechanics
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
, and was edited by Felix Klein and Conrad Müller. Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Sommerfeld
Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and groomed a large number of students for the new era of theoretical physics...
edited part 5 on "Physics", a series that ran until 1927.
Part 6 included two sections:
Philipp Furtwängler
Philipp Furtwängler
Philipp Furtwängler was a German number theorist.He wrote an 1896 doctoral dissertation at the University of Göttingen on cubic forms , under Felix Klein...
and E. Weichart coedited "Geodesy and Geophysics", which ran from 1905 to 1922. Karl Schwarzchild and Samuel Oppenheim
Samuel Oppenheim
Samuel Oppenheim was an Austrian astronomer.In 1875 Oppenheim began to study mathematics, physics and astronomy in Vienna. He took his Staatsexamen in 1880. From 1881-1887 he worked at the Observatory of Vienna and from 1888-1896 at the Kuffner observatory in Vienna...
coedited "Astronomy", publishing until 1933.
According to Grattan-Guinness, "The mathematicians at Berlin, the other main mathematical pole in Germany and a citadel for pure mathematics
Pure mathematics
Broadly speaking, pure mathematics is mathematics which studies entirely abstract concepts. From the eighteenth century onwards, this was a recognized category of mathematical activity, sometimes characterized as speculative mathematics, and at variance with the trend towards meeting the needs of...
, were not invited to collaborate on the EMW and are reputed to have sneered at it."
External links
- All volumes from Göttinger Digitalisierungszentrum which is the online academic service G%C3%B6ttinger Digitalisierungszentrum .
- Volume 1–1 from University of California Libraries .
- Volume 2–3–1 from universllibrary .
- Volume 4–4 from University of Toronto .