Johanna Piesch facts for kids
Johanna Camilla Piesch (born in 1898, died in 1992) was a smart Austrian scientist. She was a librarian, a physicist (someone who studies how the world works), and a mathematician (someone who studies numbers and shapes). She is famous for her important work on something called switching algebra. This was a big step in creating digital computers and computer programming.
Her Early Life and Studies
Johanna Camilla Piesch was born on June 6, 1898, in a city called Innsbruck in Austria. Her father, Oswald Piesch, was a cavalry officer. Johanna grew up in Vienna. After finishing primary school, she went to a special secondary school called Reform Realgymnasium Dr Wesely. She finished there in 1916.
She then went to the University of Vienna to study physics. She earned her doctorate degree in 1921. This is a very high university degree. Later, in 1928, she also got a special qualification to teach mathematics and physics.
Her Career and Important Work
In 1928, Johanna started working for the Post and Telegraph Service in Austria. This was a big organization that handled mail and communications. However, in 1938, she had to stop working early. This was because of the National Socialist regime, a difficult political time in Austria.
Luckily, in July 1945, she was able to go back to work. She became the head of the PTT's laboratory. In February 1956, she moved to work at the library of the Technical University. She helped with their center for technology and science documents. She retired from her job in October 1962.
It seems that after she left her job in 1938, Piesch went to Berlin. There, she started working on switching algebra. This is a special kind of math that helps computers make decisions. Her work was published in 1939. This made her the first person to show how this math could be used in real life.
Her ideas helped other Austrian mathematicians, Adalbert Duschek and Otto Plechl, who also worked on switching algebra later. One of her most important ideas was a way to make these math problems simpler.
Later Life and Legacy
For the last 30 years of her life, Johanna Piesch spent her time helping others through social work. She passed away on September 28, 1992, in Vienna.
Many people believe that her work was very important for the development of computer science. She helped lay the groundwork for the digital world we live in today.
See also
In Spanish: Johanna Piesch para niños
