The publication of Analytisch-geometrische Entwicklungen in 1828 marked a shift in mathematical methodology, introducing abridged notation to the field. Julius Plücker, a German academic with dual expertise in mathematics and physics, spent his professional career moving between institutions, including the University of Bonn, Frederick William University in Berlin, and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
Mathematical Foundations and Geometry
Plücker refined analytical geometry by establishing projective duality on an independent basis within the second volume of his 1831 work. His academic career involved extensive research into algebraic curves and the geometry of space. By 1865, he advanced line geometry by introducing Plücker coordinates, a system using homogeneous coordinates to embed lines in projective space. These mathematical constructions remain essential in contemporary theories concerning Grassmannians and vector spaces.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Experimental Physics and Spectroscopy
In 1836, Plücker pivoted toward physics at the University of Bonn. Collaborating with Heinrich Geißler, he utilized vacuum tubes to investigate electric discharges in rarefied gases. His experiments demonstrated that magnetic fields could influence the path of these discharges, producing a fluorescent glow on tube walls. Later identified as cathode rays, these observations provided foundational data for subsequent electron research. Furthermore, his spectroscopic studies allowed him to identify specific lines in the hydrogen spectrum, predating the work of Bunsen and Kirchhoff.
Academic Appointments and Recognition
Educated at the Königliches Gymnasium in Elberfeld and universities in Bonn, Heidelberg, Berlin, and Paris, Plücker held various professorships throughout his life. He received recognition for his contributions, becoming a Foreign Member of the Royal Society in 1855 and an honorary member of the Physics Association in Frankfurt am Main in 1851. In 1866, the Royal Society awarded him the Copley Medal. He remained a member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities until his death in 1868.
Fast facts
- Born: 1801, Elberfeld
- Died: 1868, Bonn
- Citizenship: Kingdom of Prussia
- Fields: Mathematics, Physics
- Awarded Copley Medal: 1866
- Education: University of Bonn, University of Paris, Heidelberg University
- Notable work: Plücker coordinates
- Burial site: Alter Friedhof Bonn
Questions readers ask
What major contribution did Plücker make to experimental physics?
He developed the Geissler tube, which allowed for the spectroscopic investigation of feeble electric discharges.
What is the Plücker embedding?
It is a mathematical method for embedding the Grassmannian of k-dimensional subspaces of a vector space into the projectivization of an exterior power.
Achievements
- Copley Medal — 1866
- Notable work: Plücker surface
- Notable work: Plücker coordinates
- Notable work: Plücker formula
- Notable work: Plücker matrix
- Held posts at University of Bonn, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and Frederick William University Berlin
- Fields: mathematics and physics
