Alfred Clebsch
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Friedrich Alfred Clebsch (19 January 1833 – 7 November 1872) was a German
mathematician
who made important contributions to algebraic geometry
and invariant theory
. He attended the University of Königsberg
and was habilitated at Berlin
. He subsequently taught in Berlin and Karlsruhe. His collaboration with Paul Gordan in Giessen
led to the introduction of Clebsch–Gordan coefficients for spherical harmonics
, which are now widely used in quantum mechanics
.
Together with Carl Neumann
at Göttingen, he founded the mathematical research journal Mathematische Annalen
in 1868.
In 1883 Adhémar Jean Claude Barré de Saint-Venant
translated Clebsch's work on elasticity
into French and published it as Théorie de l'élasticité des Corps Solides.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
who made important contributions to algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry is a branch of mathematics which combines techniques of abstract algebra, especially commutative algebra, with the language and the problems of geometry. It occupies a central place in modern mathematics and has multiple conceptual connections with such diverse fields as complex...
and invariant theory
Invariant theory
Invariant theory is a branch of abstract algebra dealing with actions of groups on algebraic varieties from the point of view of their effect on functions...
. He attended the University of Königsberg
University of Königsberg
The University of Königsberg was the university of Königsberg in East Prussia. It was founded in 1544 as second Protestant academy by Duke Albert of Prussia, and was commonly known as the Albertina....
and was habilitated at Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
. He subsequently taught in Berlin and Karlsruhe. His collaboration with Paul Gordan in Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
led to the introduction of Clebsch–Gordan coefficients for spherical harmonics
Spherical harmonics
In mathematics, spherical harmonics are the angular portion of a set of solutions to Laplace's equation. Represented in a system of spherical coordinates, Laplace's spherical harmonics Y_\ell^m are a specific set of spherical harmonics that forms an orthogonal system, first introduced by Pierre...
, which are now widely used in quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
.
Together with Carl Neumann
Carl Neumann
Carl Gottfried Neumann was a German mathematician.Neumann was born in Königsberg, Prussia, as the son of the mineralogist, physicist and mathematician Franz Ernst Neumann , who was professor of mineralogy and physics at Königsberg University...
at Göttingen, he founded the mathematical research journal Mathematische Annalen
Mathematische Annalen
Mathematische Annalen is a German mathematical research journal founded in 1868 by Alfred Clebsch and Carl Neumann...
in 1868.
In 1883 Adhémar Jean Claude Barré de Saint-Venant
Adhémar Jean Claude Barré de Saint-Venant
Adhémar Jean Claude Barré de Saint-Venant was a mechanician and mathematician who contributed to early stress analysis and also developed the one-dimensional unsteady open channel flow shallow water equations or Saint-Venant equations that are a fundamental set of equations used in modern...
translated Clebsch's work on elasticity
Elasticity (physics)
In physics, elasticity is the physical property of a material that returns to its original shape after the stress that made it deform or distort is removed. The relative amount of deformation is called the strain....
into French and published it as Théorie de l'élasticité des Corps Solides.
Books by A. Clebsch
- Vorlesungen über geometrie (Teubner, Leipzig, 1876-1891) edited by Ferdinand Lindemann.
- Théorie der binären algebraischen Formen (Teubner, 1872)
- Theorie der Abelschen Functionen with P. Gordan (B. G. Teubner, 1866)
- Theorie der Elasticität fester Körper (B. G. Teubner, 1862)