Philipp von Jolly facts for kids

Johann Philipp Gustav von Jolly (born September 26, 1809 – died December 24, 1884) was a German physicist and mathematician. He was known for his careful experiments and for teaching many students.

Jolly was born in Mannheim, Germany. He studied science in different cities like Heidelberg, Vienna, and Berlin. After finishing his studies, he became a professor. In 1839, he taught mathematics in Heidelberg. Later, in 1846, he became a physics professor there.

In 1854, Jolly moved to Munich. He took over a teaching position that was once held by another famous scientist, Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was known for his work with electricity. In the same year, Jolly was honored and became "von Jolly." This meant he was knighted, a special title given for important achievements.

What Jolly Did

Jolly was mainly an experimental physicist. This means he liked to do hands-on experiments to understand how the world works.

Measuring Gravity

One of his important experiments was measuring the pull of gravity. He used very precise weights to do this. His work helped scientists understand more about how gravity affects objects.

Studying Osmosis

He also studied osmosis. Osmosis is a natural process where water moves through a special barrier, like a cell wall, from an area with more water to an area with less water. This process is very important in biology, for example, in how plants get water.

A Famous Student

Jolly taught at the University of Munich. One of his students was Max Planck, who later became a very famous physicist.

In 1878, Jolly gave Planck some advice. He told Planck not to study physics because he thought almost everything important had already been discovered. Jolly said there were only "unimportant holes" left to fill.

However, Planck had a different idea. He said he just wanted to understand the basic rules of physics that were already known. Even though Jolly thought physics was nearly finished, Planck's work actually led to a whole new field called quantum physics. This showed that there was still much more to discover!

Jolly passed away in Munich in 1884.

Selected Works

• Anleitung zur Differential- und Integralrechnung, 1846 – This was a guide to calculus, a type of math used to study change.
• Die principien der mechanik, 1852 – This book explained the basic rules of how things move, known as the principles of mechanics.
• Die Anwendung der Waage auf Probleme der Gravitation, 1878 – This work described how he used a special scale to study gravitation.

See also

In Spanish: Philipp von Jolly para niños

• Jolly balance