Hermann von Helmholtz facts for kids

**Hermann von Helmholtz**
Hermann von Helmholtz
Born	Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz; August 31, 1821; Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia
Died	September 8, 1894 (aged 73); Charlottenburg, German Empire;
Residence	Germany
Nationality	German
Fields	Physics; Physiology; Psychology;
Institutions	University of Königsberg; University of Bonn; University of Heidelberg; University of Berlin;
Alma mater	Medicinisch-chirurgisches Friedrich-Wilhelm-Institut [de]
Influences	Johann Gottlieb Fichte; Immanuel Kant; Hermann Lotze
Influenced	Friedrich Albert Lange; Ludwig Wittgenstein
Notable awards	Matteucci Medal (1868); Copley Medal (1873); Faraday Lectureship Prize (1881); Albert Medal (1888)

Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz (31 August 1821 – 8 September 1894) was a German physician and physicist who made significant contributions in several scientific fields. The Helmholtz Association is named after him.

In physiology and psychology, he is known for his mathematics of the eye, theories of vision, ideas on the visual perception of space, and color vision research. His work on the sensation of tone, perception of sound, and the physiology of perception is also notable.

In physics, he is known for his theories on the conservation of energy, work in electrodynamics, chemical thermodynamics, and on a mechanical foundation of thermodynamics.

As a philosopher, he is known for his philosophy of science, ideas on the relation between the laws of perception and the laws of nature, the science of aesthetics, and ideas on the civilizing power of science.

Images for kids

Helmholtz's polyphonic siren, Hunterian Museum, Glasgow
Helmholtz in 1848
The Helmholtz resonator (i) and instrumentation
Helmholtz's statue in front of Humboldt University in Berlin