Max Schuler
Encyclopedia
The German
engineer
(1882 – 1972) Maximilian Schuler is best known for discovering the principle known as Schuler tuning
which is fundamental to the operation of a gyrocompass
or inertial guidance system that will be operated near the surface of the earth.
Schuler's cousin Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe
founded a firm near Kiel
, Germany, to manufacture navigational devices using gyroscope
s in 1905, and Schuler joined the firm in 1906. For many years they struggled with the problem of maintaining a vertical reference as a craft moved around on the surface of the earth.
In 1923 Schuler published his discovery that if the gyrocompass was tuned to have an 84.4 minute period of oscillation (the Schuler period) then it would resist errors due to sideways acceleration of the ship or aircraft in which it was installed.
Later, Schuler served as a professor of dynamics
at the University of Göttingen. According to the Mathematics Genealogy project he supervised one dissertation there, that of Kurt Magnus (whose other supervisor was Ludwig Prandtl).
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...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
(1882 – 1972) Maximilian Schuler is best known for discovering the principle known as Schuler tuning
Schuler tuning
Schuler tuning is a modification to the electronic control system used in inertial navigation systems that accounts for the curvature of the Earth. An inertial navigation system, used in submarines, ships, aircraft, and other vehicles to keep track of position, determines directions with respect...
which is fundamental to the operation of a gyrocompass
Gyrocompass
A gyrocompass is a type of non-magnetic compass which bases on a fast-spinning disc and rotation of our planet to automatically find geographical direction...
or inertial guidance system that will be operated near the surface of the earth.
Schuler's cousin Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe
Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe
Hermann Franz Joseph Hubertus Maria Anschütz-Kaempfe was a German scientist and inventor. In his quest to navigate to the North Pole by submarine, he became interested in the concept of the gyrocompass. In 1905 he founded, with Friedrich Treitschke the first firm to manufacture gyroscopic...
founded a firm near Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Germany, to manufacture navigational devices using gyroscope
Gyroscope
A gyroscope is a device for measuring or maintaining orientation, based on the principles of angular momentum. In essence, a mechanical gyroscope is a spinning wheel or disk whose axle is free to take any orientation...
s in 1905, and Schuler joined the firm in 1906. For many years they struggled with the problem of maintaining a vertical reference as a craft moved around on the surface of the earth.
In 1923 Schuler published his discovery that if the gyrocompass was tuned to have an 84.4 minute period of oscillation (the Schuler period) then it would resist errors due to sideways acceleration of the ship or aircraft in which it was installed.
Later, Schuler served as a professor of dynamics
Dynamics (mechanics)
In the field of physics, the study of the causes of motion and changes in motion is dynamics. In other words the study of forces and why objects are in motion. Dynamics includes the study of the effect of torques on motion...
at the University of Göttingen. According to the Mathematics Genealogy project he supervised one dissertation there, that of Kurt Magnus (whose other supervisor was Ludwig Prandtl).