Carl Gustav Jakob Jacobi
| Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
10 December 1804 Potsdam, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Died | 18 February 1851 (aged 46) Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia |
| Residence | Prussia |
| Nationality | German |
| Fields | Mathematician |
| Institutions | Königsberg University |
| Alma mater | University of Berlin (Ph.D., 1825) |
| Thesis | Disquisitiones Analyticae de Fractionibus Simplicibus (1825) |
| Doctoral advisor | Enno Dirksen |
| Doctoral students |
Paul Gordan Otto Hesse Friedrich Julius Richelot |
| Known for |
Jacobi's elliptic functions Jacobian Jacobi symbol Jacobi identity Jacobi operator Hamilton–Jacobi equation Popularizing the character ∂ |
Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi (/dʒəˈkoʊbi/;German: [jaˈkoːbi]; 10 December 1804 – 18 February 1851) was a German mathematician, who made fundamental contributions to elliptic functions, dynamics, differential equations, and number theory. His name is occasionally written as Carolus Gustavus Iacobus Iacobi in his Latin books, and his first name is sometimes given as Karl.
Jacobi was the first Jewish mathematician to be appointed professor at a German university.
Jacobi was born of Ashkenazi Jewish parentage in Potsdam on 10 December 1804. He was the second of four children of banker Simon Jacobi. His elder brother Moritz von Jacobi would also become known later as an engineer and physicist. He was initially home schooled by his uncle Lehman, who instructed him in the classical languages and elements of mathematics. In 1816, the twelve-year-old Jacobi went to the Potsdam Gymnasium, where students were being taught classical languages, German history as well as mathematics. As a result of the good education received from his uncle, as well as his own remarkable abilities, after less than half a year Jacobi was moved to the senior year despite his young age. However, as the University was not accepting students younger than 16 years old, he had to remain in the senior class until 1821. He used this time to advance his knowledge, showing interest in all subjects, including Latin and Greek, philology, history and mathematics. During this period he also made the first attempts at research trying to solve the quintic equation by radicals.
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