scientific article; zbMATH DE number 1544088

MaRDI QIDQ4520862zbMATH OpenFDO

Publication date 14 December 2000

biographies of German mathematicians of 19th and 20th centuries Technical University Karlsruhe

Biographies, obituaries, personalia, bibliographies (01A70) History of mathematics at specific universities (01A73)

The classical German system of universities (basically up to 1945) had the peculiarity that its teaching staff was in a permanent state of flux. This applied also to the German Technical Universities (literally Higher Schools) which otherwise emulated the example of the Paris Ecole Polytechnique and of which the school in Karlsruhe, founded in 1825, was the first and exemplary institution in the German speaking academic context. So it is no wonder that the author of this very interesting collection of biographies of all mathematics professors in Karlsruhe between 1825 and 1945 (41 in all) could report on several rather famous mathematicians who often stayed only short periods of time at that place. Among others, biographies are given of Heinrich Brandt, Richard Baldus, Alfred Clebsch, Georg Faber, Rudolf Fueter, Georg Hamel, Otto Haupt, Adolf Krazer, Ernst Schroeder, Friedrich Schur, Paul Staeckel, who all worked also on fundamental mathematical problems. So the importance of the collection reaches well beyond local mathematical history in Karlsruhe. Biographies of important representatives of applied mathematics such as Lothar Collatz, Karl Heun, Fritz Noether, Theodor Poeschl, Kurt von Sanden (particularly impressive the description of the latter's connection to the Kiel shipyard) enable to discuss the specific conditions of teaching at Technical Universities, the change of career patterns of professors around 1900 and the new connections to the industry. The author, who has, apart from his purely mathematical teaching at today's University of Karlsruhe, been constantly teaching the history of his discipline over the past decades as well, adds many new and unknown sources on the persons portrayed, partly from archives, partly from personal interviews (Samson Breuer e.g.). Activities beyond the strictly mathematical and technical fields, such as Christian Wiener's work on philosophy, and political positions of several professors during the Nazi period are likewise included. The deliberate renunciation of detailed mathematical evaluations (but there are several very insightful ones) might even help the general reception of this book among students, professors and the interested public alike.

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