Albin Herzog (1852–1909) was a Swiss
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...
who was director of the
ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ran ...
.
Life and work
Herzog studied in the high schools of
Steckborn and
Frauenfeld. Between 1870 and 1874 he studied mathematics al
Polytechnicum of Zurich and in 1875 he was awarded a doctorate from the
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...
. The same year he began teaching at Polytechnicum of Zurich, where he remained the rest of his life, as director of the Mechanical Technical Department and General Manager from 1895 to 1899. During his time as general manager,
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...
flunked the entrance exam, failing in French, chemistry, and biology, but Herzog seeing his extraordinary marks in physics and mathematics, recommended Einstein spend a year in the of
Aarau, promising to admit him the following year.
Herzog was an outstanding professor who connected the mathematical basis of mechanics with his practical applications. He also published several articles on mathematical mechanics.
Besides his academic activities, Herzog was president of the escolar commission (1889–1993) and councilor of the city of Zurich.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Herzog, Albin
19th-century Swiss mathematicians
20th-century Swiss mathematicians
1852 births
1909 deaths
ETH Zurich alumni