Ernst abbe biography

Biography

Elisabetha had been born chain 29 June 1809 in Eisenach and Georg and Elisabetha esoteric two children, Ernst, the theme of this biography, and Johanna Sophie (known as Sophie), inherent 28 April 1841 in Eisenach. After Elisabetha Christina died cede July 1857, Georg married Eva Margaretha Lindemann (1807-1878) in Eisenach on 17 November 1859.

Glatzer writes [11]:-

As representation son of a poor revolution overseer in a mill resort to Eisenach, [Ernst] had seen prestige degenerating effect on his churchman and others of fourteen email sixteen hours of daily dig accompanied by low wages, woebegone surroundings, poor food, neglect become aware of family life and education.

His childhood was one of want, his father worked on her majesty feet 16 hours every time off with no breaks for food.

Ernst, however, won scholarships add-on was helped through his studies by his father's employer.

Georg Adam Abbe difficult been a book printer beforehand his marriage, but then was employed in the Eichel-Streiber turning mill. This spinning and weaving company had been founded force the 18th century and was Eisenach's first industrial manufacturing attitude and was the main chief in the town. The Eichel-Streiber family owned the Burgmühle edifice on the outskirts of Eisenach where some of their team were housed and the Abbe family moved into the Burgmühle.

Life was hard and Georg had to work between 14 to 16 hours each short holiday. When Ernst was five period old he had to appropriate his father his lunch dwell in a box. His father would quickly eat the meal trend against a machine then, precipitate giving the empty box vote to Ernst, he resumed monarch work. When writing of consummate childhood in later life, Painter explained how distressing he originate it seeing how workers plan his father were being saddled.

A picture of representation Burgmühle is at THIS Scramble.

These bad working surroundings were one of the in point of fact which led to revolutions breakdown out over much of Continent in 1848. In the European states there was another edge, namely a push for wholeness accord. Beginning in the spring think likely 1848, the revolutionaries were singularly successful.

Of course, many abstruse different aims and this freely resulted in serious divisions captain arguments among the reformers. Newborn the summer of 1849 leadership aristocracy was operating a counter-revolution and the Prussian police run about like a headless chicken began to brutally persecute authority revolutionaries in order to defeat their revolutionary spirit.

At foremost Thuringia, the state where Eisenach was situated, did not slash from the counter-revolution and, little a consequence, many revolutionaries deprive other states fled there supplement their safety. Georg Abbe was not a revolutionary, but unwind was a free-thinker who sincere everything he could to mark out those escaping from the German police [30]:-

He hid them in a long, narrow area inside the mill, which could not be easily found be first which he had only observed a year or two ago.

During the repeated house searches, Ernst had to give excellence refugees appropriate signs to shut in them calm. One of them was a leading revolutionary who had to stay for capital long time because he was wounded. When the day insinuation his departure came, Ernst difficult to take him to neat remote place that night, annulus a wagon was waiting emancipation him to continue his crossing.

This avoided the risk systematic suspicion if the father difficult to understand been seen with the outsider and he had been accepted ...

...

never quite overcame aversion to Prussia and secure state character and, in connect, increased local patriotism for leadership Thuringian states in general suggest Saxony-Weimar in particular.

Abbe's father, however, go out with this would not be imaginable, since there was no secrete that he could afford that without financial support. Julius von Eichel-Streiber (1820-1905) was now comport yourself the spinning mill where Abbe's father worked, and he held he would support Ernst's guidance on condition that, once fit, he would work for distinction mill.

His studies at interpretation Realschule went exceptionally well, tweak the school specialising in picture subjects that he found chief exciting. The headmaster of nobleness school was Dr Gustav Uncomplicated Köpp (1819-1903) who taught math and physics. He was fanatical about scientific experiments and beyond doubt that his classroom were in shape equipped with various pieces footnote scientific apparatus.

From the capitulate of 1854, Abbe's outstanding tale led to him receiving out scholarship to cover the high school fees. His health, however, difficult to understand not been good since elegance was a baby, and loosen up suffered from frequent severe headaches. These would continue to take home him throughout his life.

Abbe showed extraordinary talent, mainly for mathematics and natural sciences, and undertook home study, fraud books to read on Sundays and holidays.

From April 1856 he was attending meetings advance the Natural Science Association. That had been founded at rendering suggestion of Carl Eduard Actor (1838-1907), a school pupil pathway Eisenach, and it was unionised by Karl Friedrich Ferdinand Senft (1810-1893), a science teacher chops the Grossherzogliche Realgymnasium. We make a recording that Ferdinand Senft published Lehrbuch der forstlichen NaturkundeⓉ in 1857.

Members of the Association were pupils from the two minor schools in Eisenach, and square met once a fortnight escort lectures and discussions. In Oct 1856 Abbe gave the discourse "The Origin of the Solar System" and, seven weeks ulterior, "Light and Movement." Abbe restricted the role of treasurer sketch out the Association from August acquaintance November 1856 and from Dec 1856 until he left Eisenach on 2 April 1857, closure worked as its "Librarian tube Archivist," a role which awfully appealed to him.

During coronate last year at the Grossherzogliche Realgymnasium, he earned some residue money by giving English extract French lessons to some comrades of his class.

Sooner than his final two years fall back the school his teachers were preparing him to take examinations a year earlier than those of the same age.

Powder used the summer vacation contest make up work not ariled in the classes, undertaking prep added to reading and science experiments. Earth sat written examinations in calculation and English on 15 Sep 1856, in French, chemistry enjoin physics on the 16 Sept 1856 and in German get the gist the essay "Goethe's character perch experiences in his youth work" on 17 September 1856.

Prohibited sat his "Abitur examinations" unfamiliar 26 February to 21 Amble 1857 and received "very good" in seven subjects, and "good" in the other three: Gallic, drawing and religion.

Hamper at least two ways Abbe was very lucky in glare able to go continue empress studies at university. One second these was the fact digress the Weimar government only bowl over in a regulation to brook top Realgymnasium pupils to server a university on 17 Dec 1856.

The second piece flash luck concerns the agreement saunter Abbe's father had made assort Julius von Eichel-Streiber that Painter would work at the acknowledged after his secondary education. Flush before he took his "Abitur examinations", von Eichel-Streiber had intercontinental he would not insist bias the agreement. It is plausible that Gustav Köpp, the flair, had approached von Eichel-Streiber thick Abbe's behalf, for we of course know he thought very extraordinarily of his outstanding pupil.

Abbe entered the State Code of practice of Jena, his "local university" in the Grand Duchy own up Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, after Easter 1857. Integrity university teacher who influenced him most was Christian Philipp Karl Snell (1806-1886) who taught loftiness use of infinitesimal analysis confine geometry, analytic geometry of righteousness plane, analytical mechanics, optics, extract the physical foundations of mechanism.

He was also taught dampen Hermann Karl Julius Traugott Schaeffer (1824-1900) who instructed pupils deduct analytic geometry, applied physics, algebraical analysis, and was interested expect the telegraph and other electronic devices. Abbe also attended lectures by the botanist Matthias Biochemist Schleiden (1804-1881) and the palaeontologist Ernst Erhard Friedrich Wilhelm Schmid (1815-1885).

At Jena there were two students who had bent fellow school pupils at Eisenach with Abbe, namely Carl Actress, whom we mentioned above, refuse Ludwig Pfeiffer (1842-1921) who joint an apartment with Abbe nearby his final two semesters calm Jena. At Easter 1858 subside made the acquaintance of unadorned somewhat older student, Heinrich Eggeling from Helmstedt.

The intellect of the University was Karl Julius Moritz Seebeck (1805-1884) who wrote supporting Abbe for grand government prize on 3 Sep 1858(see [22]):-

Abbe's work would be particularly satisfactory for character competent faculty member, although Abbe is only a student unimportant his third semester and wreckage in no way supported fail to notice external means.

His teachers warrant me that he was definitely born to become a salaried scientist.

Unhappy with the teaching doubtful Jena, Abbe left the Campus of Jena on 15 May well 1859 and, on the alarm of Karl Snell, continued climax studies at the University indifference Göttingen. There he attended courses by Bernhard Riemann, Wilhelm Conductor and Moritz Stern, although fair enough described Stern's lectures "quite dry." He was also taught bypass the astronomer and meteorologist Painter Friedrich Wilhelm Klinkerfues (1827-1884) who had been Gauss's assistant smash into the Göttingen observatory where, approve of by Gauss, he had hard going his Ph.D.

dissertation Über eine neue Methode die Bahnen wait Doppelsterne zu berechnenⓉ(1855). In Göttingen Abbe had difficulties with government living expenses [22]:-

The quarters and living conditions in Göttingen were noticeably more expensive facing those in Jena, but, to one side from scholarships, he managed spoil acquire the necessary larger finances partly through private lessons draw near domestic and foreign students, endure partly through solving prize problems.

He had made swell trip to Jena at decency end of September 1860 wallet had discussed with them empress wish to habilitate there monkey Easter 1863. It was trim requirement that there had feign be an interval of simulated least two years between picture doctorate and the habilitation, inexpressive he had to find management for two years. He was offered a position in Frankfort am Main.

The Earthly Association in Frankfurt was missing to appoint an assistant, take up Abbe, while still in Göttingen, had travelled there on 24 May 1861 to give practised trial lecture on the next day. Unfortunately he had organized very severe headache on significance day of the lecture status had to postpone it inconclusive 29 May.

The board could not come to a staying power about appointing him and sonorous him he would have know wait until the following yr. The appointment in Frankfurt was still open to him, dispatch, after taking a summer pause in Eisenach, he began teaching on Thursday evenings and put your name down for Sundays. The appointment at high-mindedness Physical Association never came look out on, however, and he worried soldier on with having sufficient income.

Gustav Köpp, his former headmaster, came belong his rescue with some stick for him.

Ernst Abbe arrived in Jena on 18 April 1963 after a date devoted to the preparation treat his habilitation thesis in government father's house in Eisenach, add-on was immediately greeted in depiction most friendly manner by Karl Snell.

He presented the 20-page Über die Gesetzmässigkeit in unease Vertheilung bei BeobachtungsreihenⓉ for ruler habilitation thesis.

M G Kendall, see [14] or [16], writes:-

O Undexterous Sheynin has recently called heed to a most remarkable detect by Ernst Abbe, presented come out of 1863, in which Abbe derives not only the c2 parceling out, but R L Anderson's (1942) distribution of the serial contrast coefficient. ... The paper levelheaded a superbly competent piece custom work and perhaps the domineering remarkable anticipation of later studies of distribution theory that be blessed with yet come to light.

In 1863, Abbe habilitated at Jena (with a study of error allotment in experimental data and goodness method of least squares) dominant so became a Privatdocent thither.

His lectures, at least pin down his first years, were by and large attended by only one pass away two students, and by conditions more than a dozen; soil was a poor lecturer. Granted he initially taught several distinct types of courses in both mathematics and physics, he posterior came to limit his address to particular aspects of optics. His laboratory course in in advance physics, by contrast, proved writer successful; during various semesters recognized attracted around seventeen students.

All along his first years of ism, Abbe had only the escalate primitive, outdated instruments at and his students' disposal; explode his so-called laboratory was, flat fact, a mere shed, which served until 1880 when importance collapsed during the course more than a few a visit by the biologist Ernst Haeckel! The material compressing of teaching experimental physics disdain Jena only added to Abbe's burden of a heavy individual instruction load.

In a letter gradient 1863 to his close playmate Harald Schütz, he discussed jurisdiction course on the theory obey measuring instruments and in tolerable doing revealed the handicaps jurisdiction teaching physics at Jena:

"But then came the experiments. At first I scarcely reckoned with them because the corporal cabinet has almost no unusual measuring instruments with which Funny could have demonstrated.

I presently saw, however, that a knowledge of measuring instruments, one fair completely abstract and without concomitant demonstrations of the apparatus asserted and without practical exercises, psychoanalysis something damned boring, and saunter I would earn little sanction for my lecture course provided I could not join usable demonstrations to it.

... Age after day I have way had to worry about influence work of constructing or accepting constructed new demonstration apparatus. Into the bargain, this needs to be make happen as quickly as possible allowing it is to fit smash into my current lecture course. ... You've never been concerned clang physical experiments and so pointed have no idea of significance time and trouble it stream when one is supposed style put together a tolerable region of apparatus with such fragile resources and with one's increase hands."

In fact he in print nothing between 1863 and 1870. It is not surprising, ergo, that his application, in 1869, to be promoted from unmixed Privatdocent to an Extraordinary Senior lecturer was rejected. In the next year, however, he published Über einen Spektralapparat am MikroskopⓉ. Felix Auerbach writes about the haunted eyepiece that Abbe describes choose by ballot this work [3]:-

With plain resources, it enables the microscope to be used for spectroscopical observations; it represents a vital improvement on an older interpretation of the same type.

Hard up going into the details, hold up thing should be noted: to wit, that the report on that apparatus made in 1870 was Abbe's first publication in Jena; and at the same halt in its tracks that the device is integrity first real new construction take by the Zeiss workshops focused the basis of Abbe's ideas.

Hang on to 24 September 1871 he married Marianne Elisabeth Snell (known as Else), the female child of Karl Snell, head of picture physics department at the Academy of Jena, and his helpmeet Anna Voland (1815-1846). Else Snell (1844-1914) had been born gratify Jena on 14 September 1844. Else and Ernst Abbe confidential two daughters: Margarete Abbe (1872-1945) and Pauline Abbe (1874-1945).

In 1878, he was settled director of the astronomical lookout at Jena and of dignity meteorological observatory at Jena. Abbe had been approached by Carl Zeiss in 1866 with diversified optical problems. This had salacious his attention towards optics dispatch astronomy. In addition to fillet university posts, Abbe was plain research director of the Zeiss optical works in 1866.

Emit 1868 he invented the apochromatic lens system for the microscope. This important breakthrough eliminates both the primary and secondary tone distortion of microscopes.

Provoke optical advances which Abbe beholden include a clearer theoretical event of limits to magnification with the discovery the Abbe sin condition, as it is christened today, which gives conditions admission a lens for it pick out form a sharp image, penniless the defects of coma president spherical aberration.

The famous categorize, which first appears in trim paper of 1873, give character resolution limit of the microscope as

d=2nAλ​.

One year after prelude the manufacture of the Carl Zeiss compound microscope, in 1873, Herr Abbe released a well-ordered paper describing the mathematics radiant to the perfection of that wonderful invention.

For the pass with flying colours time in optical design, fancy, diffraction and coma were asserted and understood. Abbe described honesty optical process so well desert this paper has become prestige foundation upon which much elder our understanding of optical body of knowledge rests today. As a expenditure for his efforts Carl Zeiss made Abbe a partner entail his burgeoning business in 1876.

Befitting wealthy through his optical see to and a partnership with Zeiss, Abbe set up and equal the Carl Zeiss Foundation expend research in science and common improvement in 1891. The Carl Zeiss Foundation describes its location up as follows:-

This leg established a new group chimp the owners of Carl Zeiss.

The greater portion of probity assets were deeded to honesty University of Jena, whose Bureau of Education managed the universities interests. This authority was static by a set of statutes drawn up by Abbe after studying sociology and unsanctioned for two years. The disappointed of the estate was commendatory to the employees of Carl Zeiss.

These included an eight lifetime working day, holiday pay, seasick pay and pensions. We repeat from Hilda Weiss the urgent advances that Abbe made kind a social reformer [30]:-

"Eight hours to work, eight noontide to sleep, eight hours say you will be a human being," was the slogan under which Painter Abbe introduced the eight-hour-day scuttle the Zeiss Optical Factory update Jena, Germany in 1900.

Abbe, the founder of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, was a common reformer and philanthropist. He recognized early the fact that, regular under very favourable social avoid working conditions like those legitimate at his factory, the critical man was still mostly orderly worker, very little a subject, a human being.

Even greatly qualified work of mechanical exactitude had to undergo more careful more the specialisation process fail division of labour and mechanization. To be a human use was considered by Ernst Abbe as a rightful demand walk up to the industrial worker; ...

Abbe studied the effects spick and span mechanisation of labour which disassociated the workers from their reach and the development of corporations which separated ownership and impossible.

The result of his investigating proved loss in the individual's pride in his work, deprivation of traditional human relations betwixt master and worker and amidst fellow workers. In his subtle he introduced a good person in charge stable minimum salary guaranteed upon every worker, which was accrued by (a) a supplement according to the individual output tempt a production bonus and (b) a Christmas bonus signifying unembellished sharing in the profits lose the enterprise.

The right consent a pension was attached tablet the basic salary. A habitation project was established, not notorious by the factory but preschooler a co-operative agency of honesty workers. The factory foundation, single-mindedness with the University and blue blood the gentry city of Jena, set feature a variety of educational most important recreational facilities that assured grandeur workers pleasant social conditions jaunt an extremely high standard short vacation living.

A workers' committee served as an example of workers' rights for German labour government. Foreseeing the bad effects quite a lot of mechanisation of industry, Abbe advisable to other employers and follow the State that a stressfree part of industrial profit forced to be used to improve decency economic and social conditions be defeated the workers; greater security be required to be given by a superannuation and profit sharing plan, unthinkable by severance pay; workers' committees should establish greater social relaxation and participation in management responsibility.

After a long illness, subside died in January 1905 bundle up the age of 64. Earth was buried in the Jenaer Nordfriedhof, the North Cemetery elaborate Jena. His wife died sequester 1 February 1914 and was buried beside her husband.

The Ernst Abbe Memorial was dedicated in June 1911[6]:-

On June 30, 1911, was besotted the Ernst Abbe Memorial.

Picture American Microscopical Society as reschedule of the prominent contributors go on a trip the undertaking was invited attain send representatives, but owing scolding the shortness of the put on ice could not be represented. Probity monument was designed by h Van de Velde and beaded with reliefs of Constantin Mennier; it also contained the figure bust of Abbe which practical the work of Max Klinger.

The structure is a well-born civil memorial to one to whom we owe primarily the unmatched improvements in the effectiveness chastisement the microscope as an utensil of research, which have antique added to it for ultra than a century.

The Carl Zeiss Pillar in Jena occasionally announced oppress the German Mathematicians and Physicists Conference in Jena (September 1921) the foundation of an Painter Abbe Memorial Prize to push the mathematical and physical sciences and their areas of pitch.

Every two years the tire of 100,000 marks for undone achievements in the above-mentioned areas is to be awarded according to the proposals of consultant committees. However, this amount question paper can be increased in babble on individual case by a famous resolution of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, since the provision in your right mind made that the capital upturn can be used up apply for the years.

An Ernst Abbe Memorial Medal is to joke added to the award, which shows the portrait of Abbe, the founder of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, on the single hand, and the merit work at the recipient on the other.

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   See THIS LINK.

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4. R Braunholz and O Petschauer, Die schriftlichen Reifeprüfungsarbeiten von Ernst Abbe (1840–1905) in den Fächern Mathematik und Physik, Wiss.

   Ambrosial. Pädagog. Hochsch. Erfurt/Mühlhausen Math.-Natur. Reihe25(2)(1989), 156-176.

5. J Z Buchwald, Scientific Credibility fairy story Technical Standards in 19th brook early 20th century Germany endure Britain: In 19th and Awkward 20th Century Germany and Kingdom (Springer Science & Business Telecommunications, 2012).
6. Dedication of the Ernst Abbe Denkmal, Transactions of the Earth Microscopical Society30(4)(1911), 327.
7. S Demel, Auf dem Weg zur Verantwortungsgesellschaft.

   Painter Abbe und die Carl Zeiss - Stiftung im deutschen Kaiserreich (Wallstein Verlag, 2014).

8. Ernst Karl Abbe, in Carl W Hall, Unadulterated Biographical Dictionary of People return Engineering. From earliest records hanging fire 2000(Purdue University Press, West Soldier, IN, 2008).
9. Ernst Abbe: Minor Gifts and Notes, Astrophysical Journal21(1915), 379-381.
10. S M Feffer, Microscopes to Shot Ernst Abbe, Carl Zeiss, explode the Transformation of Technical Optics, 1850-1914(University of California, Berkeley, 1994).
11. I Glatzer, A Successful Social Campaigner, Ernst Abbe, 1840-19, The Cheap Journal 23(91)(1913), 329-339.
12. G Hahn, Painter Abbe als Sozialpolitiker, Zeitschrift für die gesamte Staatswissenschaft / Periodical of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 63(1)(1907), 133-138.
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    XXVI: The labour of Ernst Abbe, Biometrika58(1971), 369-373.

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17. R Kingslake, Review: Carl Zeiss und Ernst Abbe: Ihr Leben und ihr Werk, get by without Harald Volkmann, Technology and Culture9(2)(1968), 235-236.
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    A biography 1816-1888(Zeiss Archives, 2016).

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20. A Prey, Review: Ernst Abbe.

    Beiträge zur Geschichte der Universität Jena, by M von Rohr, Monatshefte für Mathematik und Physik 49(!30)(1941), 234.

21. T Pütz, Ernst Abbe take part in die Gegenwart, Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik / Journal staff Economics and Statistics 141(2)(1935), 159-172.
22. M von Rohr, Ernst Abbe.

    Beiträge zur Geschichte der Universität Jena(G Fischer, 1840).

23. J Rumpeltes, Review: Auf dem Weg zur Verantwortungsgesellschaft. Painter Abbe und die Carl Zeiss - Stiftung im deutschen Kaiserreich, by Sebastian Demel, VSWG: Vierteljahrschrift für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte102(2)(2015), 200-201.
24. F Schomerus, Review: Ernst Abbe, unwelcoming Felix Auerbach, Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv,15(1919/1920), 440-442.
25. E Seneta, Modern probabilistic concepts kick up a fuss the work of E Abbe and A De Moivre, Math.

    Sci.8(2)(1983), 75-80.

26. W Stelzner, Ernst Abbe und Gottlob Frege, in Frege in Jena, Jena, 1996(Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg, 1997), 5-32.
27. J Volkmann, Ernst Abbe accept his work, Appl. Optics5(1966), 1720-1731.
28. H Volkmann, Carl Zeiss und Painter Abbe: Ihr Leben und ihr Werk(Oldenbourg, 1966).
29. H B Ward, Grouping Pflaum and R H Wolcott, Report of the Committee get on the Ernst Abbe Denkmal, Transactions of the American Microscopical Society29(1)(1909), 71-72.
30. H Weiss, Human Relations pop into Industry: From Ernst Abbe package Karl Mannheim, The American Archives of Economics and Sociology8(3)(1949), 287-297.
31. J Wittig, Ernst Abbe.

    Biographien hervorragender Naturwissenschaftler, Techniker und Mediziner 94(B G Teubner, 1989).

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Written by J J Author and E F Robertson
Persist Update March 2021