Erich Trefftz

The Trefftz method, a technique for the numerical, approximate solution of linear homogeneous boundary value problems for partial differential equations, serves as a primary legacy of the German mathematician Erich Immanuel Trefftz. Born in Leipzig in 1888, his career spanned pivotal developments in mechanical engineering, hydrodynamics, elasticity theory, and vibration theory during the early twentieth century.

Early Education and Influences

Erich Trefftz was the son of merchant Oskar Trefftz and Anna Eliza, born Runge. His uncle was the mathematician Carl Runge. After attending the Thomasschule in Leipzig, he moved to Aachen in 1900, graduating from the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gymnasium in 1906. His university training began with mechanical engineering at Aachen Technical University, before he transitioned to mathematics. In 1908, he relocated to Göttingen, where he studied under Ludwig Prandtl, Paul Koebe, and David Hilbert. He further broadened his experience with studies at Columbia University in New York and the University of Strasbourg under Richard von Mises.

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Academic Career and Contributions

In 1913, Trefftz earned his doctorate with a thesis concerning the contraction of circular liquid jets. Following his service as a volunteer officer during the First World War and his subsequent return from injury in 1917, he completed his habilitation. He became a professor at Aachen Technical University in 1919. By 1922, he moved to the Technical University of Dresden, eventually leading the chair of technical mechanics in the Mathematics and Natural Sciences Department. His research output heavily influenced aviation studies, specifically through his explanation of induced drag, commonly referred to as Trefftz-plane theory. In 1929, he received an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Stuttgart.

Editorial and Public Roles

Beyond his institutional duties, Trefftz served as the editor of the Journal of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics for the Society for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics starting in 1933. He also held a role as co-editor of the Yellow Springer Collection. His professional life intersected with the political climate of the German Reich; he signed the declaration of allegiance to Adolf Hitler in 1933 but reportedly advocated for Jewish colleagues and politically persecuted individuals. In 1934, he was awarded the Ackermann-Teubner Memorial Prize. By 1936, he balanced his academic responsibilities with research at the German Research Institute for Aviation in Berlin-Adlershof.

Death and Legacy

Erich Trefftz died in Dresden in January 1937 following a serious illness at the age of 48. His remains were interred in the family plot at the New Johannis Cemetery in Leipzig, with additional commemorative inscriptions found at the Loschwitz Cemetery. His contributions to the field are memorialized by the Trefftz Building at the TU Dresden, which has housed the university's mathematical and physical institutes since 1994, and a bust installed in the Willers Building in 1987. TU Dresden Archives currently administers a portion of his academic estate.