Heinrich Burkhardt
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Friedrich Karl Ludwig Burkhardt (10 October 1861 – 2 November 1914) was a German
mathematician
. He famously was one of the examiners of Albert Einstein
's PhD thesis. Of Einstein's thesis he stated: "The mode of treatment demonstrates fundamental mastery of the relevant mathematical methods" and "What I checked, I found to be correct without exception."
Burkhardt was born in Schweinfurt
. Starting from 1879 he studied under Karl Weierstrass
, Alexander von Brill
, and Hermann Amandus Schwarz in Munich
(at university and technical university), Berlin
and Göttingen. He attained a doctorate in 1886 in Munich under Gustav A. Bauer with a thesis entitled: Beziehungen zwischen der Invariantentheorie und der Theorie algebraischer Integrale und ihrer Umkehrungen (Relations between the invariant theory and the theory of algebraic integrals and their inverses).
In 1887 he was an assistant at Göttingen
and obtained his habilitation
there in 1889. Later he was a professor in Zürich (1897–1908) and Munich (since October 1908). He worked on the theory of the elliptical functions, series expansion
s, group theory
, the Burkhardt quartic
, and history of mathematics.
He died in Neuwittelsbach/München, of a disease of the stomach, diagnosed about Easter 1914.
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....
. He famously was one of the examiners of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
's PhD thesis. Of Einstein's thesis he stated: "The mode of treatment demonstrates fundamental mastery of the relevant mathematical methods" and "What I checked, I found to be correct without exception."
Burkhardt was born in Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
. Starting from 1879 he studied under Karl Weierstrass
Karl Weierstrass
Karl Theodor Wilhelm Weierstrass was a German mathematician who is often cited as the "father of modern analysis".- Biography :Weierstrass was born in Ostenfelde, part of Ennigerloh, Province of Westphalia....
, Alexander von Brill
Alexander von Brill
Alexander Wilhelm von Brill was a German mathematician.Born in Darmstadt, Hesse, he attended University of Giessen where he earned his doctorate under supervision of Alfred Clebsch. He held a chair at the University of Tübingen, where Max Planck was among his students.-External links:...
, and Hermann Amandus Schwarz in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
(at university and technical university), Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Göttingen. He attained a doctorate in 1886 in Munich under Gustav A. Bauer with a thesis entitled: Beziehungen zwischen der Invariantentheorie und der Theorie algebraischer Integrale und ihrer Umkehrungen (Relations between the invariant theory and the theory of algebraic integrals and their inverses).
In 1887 he was an assistant at Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
and obtained his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
there in 1889. Later he was a professor in Zürich (1897–1908) and Munich (since October 1908). He worked on the theory of the elliptical functions, series expansion
Series expansion
In mathematics, a series expansion is a method for calculating a function that cannot be expressed by just elementary operators . The resulting so-called series often can be limited to a finite number of terms, thus yielding an approximation of the function...
s, group theory
Group theory
In mathematics and abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as groups.The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as rings, fields, and vector spaces can all be seen as groups endowed with additional operations and...
, the Burkhardt quartic
Burkhardt quartic
In mathematics, the Burkhardt quartic is a quartic threefold in 4-dimensional projective space studied by ,with the maximum possible number of 45 nodes.The equations defining the Burkhardt quartic become simpler if it is embedded in P5 rather than P4....
, and history of mathematics.
He died in Neuwittelsbach/München, of a disease of the stomach, diagnosed about Easter 1914.