Karl Adolf Hessenberg (September 8, 1904 – February 22, 1959) was a German

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 ...

and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

. The

Hessenberg matrix In linear algebra, a Hessenberg matrix is a special kind of square matrix, one that is "almost" triangular. To be exact, an upper Hessenberg matrix has zero entries below the first subdiagonal, and a lower Hessenberg matrix has zero entries above ...

form is named after him.

Education

From 1925 to 1930 he studied

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

at the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt (today

Technische Universität Darmstadt The Technische Universität Darmstadt (official English name Technical University of Darmstadt, sometimes also referred to as Darmstadt University of Technology), commonly known as TU Darmstadt, is a research university in the city of Darmsta ...

) and graduated with a

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

. From 1931 to 1932 he was an assistant to

Alwin Walther Alwin Oswald Walther (6May 18984January 1967) was a German mathematician, engineer and professor. He is one of the pioneers of mechanical computing technology in Germany. Life Alwin Walther was born in May 1898 in Reick near Dresden. From 191 ...

at the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, afterwards he worked at the power station in

Worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

, Germany. From 1936 he worked as an engineer at

AEG The initials AEG are used for or may refer to: Common meanings * AEG (German company) ; AEG) was a German producer of electrical equipment. It was established in 1883 by Emil Rathenau as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte El ...

, first in Berlin and later in Frankfurt. In 1940 he received his

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from Alwin Walther at the Technische Hochschule in Darmstadt.

Family

Hessenberg was also the brother of composer

Kurt Hessenberg Kurt Hessenberg (17 August 1908 – 17 June 1994) was a German composer and professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt. Life Kurt Hessenberg was born on 17 August 1908 in Frankfurt, as the fourth and last child o ...

, and the great-grandson of doctor and author

Heinrich Hoffmann Heinrich Hoffmann or Hoffman may refer to: Hoffmann *Heinrich Hoffmann (photographer) (1885–1957), German photographer *Heinrich Hoffmann (author) (1809–1894), German psychiatrist and author *Heinrich Hoffmann (sport shooter) (1869–1932), Ger ...

. The Hessenberg sum and product of ordinals are named after

Gerhard Hessenberg Gerhard Hessenberg (; 16 August 1874 – 16 November 1925) was a German mathematician who worked in projective geometry, differential geometry, and set theory. Career Hessenberg received his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin in 1899 under the ...

, another mathematician and near relative of Karl Hessenberg. His father was Eduard Hessenberg, and his mother was Emma Kugler Hessenberg.

References

External links

Biography
of Hessenberg by his daughter, Brigitte Bossert * 1904 births 1959 deaths 20th-century German mathematicians Numerical analysts {{Germany-mathematician-stub Technische Universität Darmstadt alumni Academic staff of Technische Universität Darmstadt