Julius Plücker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Julius Plücker
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Julius Plücker
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| Born | 16 June 1801 Elberfeld, Duchy of Berg, Holy Roman Empire
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| Died | 22 May 1868 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | University of Bonn University of Heidelberg University of Berlin University of Paris University of Marburg |
| Known for |
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| Awards | Copley Medal (1866) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics Physics |
| Institutions | University of Bonn University of Berlin University of Halle |
| Doctoral advisor | Christian Ludwig Gerling |
| Doctoral students | Felix Klein August Beer |
Julius Plücker (born June 16, 1801 – died May 22, 1868) was a German mathematician and physicist. He made very important discoveries in analytical geometry, which is a way to study shapes using numbers. He was also a pioneer in studying cathode rays. His work on cathode rays eventually led to the discovery of the electron, a tiny particle inside atoms. He also greatly expanded the study of special curves called Lamé curves.
Contents
A Look at Plücker's Life
His Early Life and Education
Julius Plücker was born in a town called Elberfeld, which is now part of Wuppertal in Germany. He went to school in Düsseldorf and then studied at several universities, including Bonn, Heidelberg, and Berlin.
In 1823, he traveled to Paris, France. There, he was inspired by the famous French geometers, who were experts in the study of shapes and spaces.
After his time in Paris, Plücker returned to Bonn in 1825. By 1828, he became a professor of mathematics at the university there.
In the same year, he published the first part of his book, Analytisch-geometrische Entwicklungen. In this book, he introduced a new method for solving geometry problems. A few years later, in 1831, he published the second part. In it, he clearly explained an important idea called projective duality, which is about how points and lines can be swapped in geometry.
His Work and Discoveries
In 1836, Plücker became a professor of physics at the University of Bonn. This is where he started doing amazing experiments with electricity.
Around 1858, he worked with Heinrich Geißler, a colleague who made special glass tubes that had most of the air removed (called vacuum tubes). Plücker then published his first big findings about how magnets affect electric currents in these tubes.
He noticed that when electricity passed through the vacuum tube, the glass walls would glow. This glow was caused by what we now call cathode rays. He also found that if he brought a magnet near the tube, the glow would move. This showed that the cathode rays were affected by magnetic fields.
Plücker, sometimes by himself and sometimes with Johann Wilhelm Hittorf, made many important discoveries by studying the light given off by gases. This field is called spectroscopy. He was the first to use a special vacuum tube with a narrow part, now known as a Geissler tube. This tube made the dim electric glows bright enough to be studied with a spectroscope.
He was ahead of other famous scientists like Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff. Plücker announced that the lines in a spectrum (like a rainbow of light) are unique to the chemical substance that creates them. He also pointed out how useful this discovery would be for identifying different chemicals. According to Hittorf, Plücker was also the first to see the three specific lines of the hydrogen spectrum. These lines were later found in the light from the Sun.
In 1865, Plücker went back to studying geometry. He invented a new area of study called line geometry. In this field, instead of just studying points, he also studied lines as basic building blocks. He developed Plücker coordinates, which are special numbers used to describe lines in space. This work helped create a bigger field of math called Grassmannians, which studies groups of lines or planes.
Awards and Recognition
Julius Plücker was recognized for his important scientific work. In 1866, he received the Copley Medal from the Royal Society, which is a very prestigious award for scientific achievement.
See also
In Spanish: Julius Plücker para niños
- Birkeland–Eyde process
- Duality (projective geometry)
- Grassmannian
- Ion pump
- Parameter space
- Timeline of low-temperature technology
