Iris Runge facts for kids

Iris Anna Runge (born June 1, 1888 – died January 27, 1966) was a German applied mathematician and physicist. This means she used math to solve real-world problems, often in science and engineering.

Early Life and Education

Iris Runge was the oldest of six children. Her father, Carl Runge, was also a famous mathematician. She started studying at the University of Göttingen in 1907. Her main subjects were physics, mathematics, and geography. She wanted to become a teacher.

At that time, women were not officially allowed to study at universities in Prussia until 1908–1909. So, at first, she could only attend lectures. She learned from her father and also spent time at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. There, she worked with a scientist named Arnold Sommerfeld.

Her work with Sommerfeld led to her first published paper. It was about how to use vector calculations in geometric optics. This paper was published in a well-known science journal called Annalen der Physik.

Becoming a Teacher

In 1912, Iris passed her state exams to become a teacher. She then taught at several schools. Later, in 1918, she went back to university to study chemistry. She passed another teaching exam in 1920.

For a short time in 1920, she worked as a teacher at a school called Schule Schloss Salem. In 1921, she earned her doctorate degree. Her research was about how things spread through solid materials.

Political Involvement

After World War I, there were big political changes in Germany. Iris Runge became involved in the election campaign for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). This party helped bring about women's suffrage, which gave women the right to vote in Germany. She officially joined the party in 1929.

Career in Industry

In 1923, Iris Runge stopped teaching and started working as an industrial mathematician at a company called Osram. This company made light bulbs and radio tubes.

At Osram, she worked on problems related to heat conduction. She also studied how electrons are released in tubes and used statistics for quality control. Quality control makes sure that products are made well. She even helped write a textbook about quality control.

In 1929, she was promoted to a senior position at Osram. Later, in 1939, the radio tubes department she worked in was bought by another company called Telefunken. She moved to Telefunken and continued her work there until 1945.

Return to Academia

After 1945, Iris Runge taught at an adult education center in Spandau. She also worked as a research assistant at the Technical University of Berlin.

In 1947, she qualified to become a professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin. Her first lecture as a professor was about the "noise" in electron tubes. Her previous published works were accepted in place of a special thesis.

She was offered a teaching position at Humboldt University in 1947. She worked there until 1949 as an assistant in theoretical physics. In November 1949, she became a lecturer, and in July 1950, she became a full professor. She was one of only three women professors in the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at that time.

From March 1949, she also worked part-time for Telefunken again. In 1952, she became an emeritus professor at Humboldt University. This means she retired but could still give lectures. She continued to teach theoretical physics until the summer of 1952.

Iris Runge lived in West Berlin until 1965. Then, she moved to Ulm to live with her brother.

Other Contributions

Iris Runge also translated a famous math book called What is Mathematics? into German. This book was written by Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins. Richard Courant was married to one of Iris's sisters.

She also wrote a biography about her father, Carl Runge. The book was titled Carl Runge und sein wissenschaftliches Werk ("Carl Runge and his scientific works").

See also

In Spanish: Iris Runge para niños