Wilhelm von Beetz (27 March 1822 – 22 January 1886) was a German

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

, known for his studies of electrical conductivity properties.Electrochemical Dictionary
edited by Allen J. Bard, György Inzelt, Fritz Scholz Von Beetz was born in Berlin. He studied physics, chemistry and physiology in the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

, and after completion of studies, remained in Berlin as an instructor of physics at the Cadet Corps, followed by duties as a teacher at the artillery and engineering school. Afterwards, he was a professor at the universities of

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

(from 1856) and

Erlangen Erlangen (; , ) is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is the seat of the administrative district Erlangen-Höchstadt (former administrative district Erlangen), and with 119,810 inhabitants (as of 30 September 2024), it is the smalle ...

(from 1858). In 1868 he became a professor at the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...

, where in 1874 to 1877 he was director.Beetz, Friedrich Wilhelm Hubert von (seit 1876)
In:

Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...

In 1845, he was co-founder of

Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft The German Physical Society (German: , DPG) is the oldest organisation of physicists. As of 2022, the DPG's worldwide membership is cited as 52,220, making it one of the largest national physics societies in the world. The DPG's membership peaked ...

. In 1869 he became a member of the

Bavarian Academy of Sciences The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities () is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledge within their subject. The general goal of th ...

, and in 1882 was named president of the Internationalen Elektrizitäts-Ausstellung (International Electricity Exposition) in Munich. He died in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Published works

He best known work was ''Leitfaden der Physik'' (4th edition, 1872), a textbook of physics that was published over numerous editions. Other noted writings by Beetz include: * ''Ueber Magnetismus'' (1852) – On

magnetism Magnetism is the class of physical attributes that occur through a magnetic field, which allows objects to attract or repel each other. Because both electric currents and magnetic moments of elementary particles give rise to a magnetic field, ...

. * ''Ueber den electrochemischen Vorgang an einer Aluminiumanode'' (1877) – ''On the electrochemical process of an aluminum

anode An anode usually is an electrode of a polarized electrical device through which conventional current enters the device. This contrasts with a cathode, which is usually an electrode of the device through which conventional current leaves the devic ...

''. * ''Grundzüge der Elektrizitätslehre: zehn Vorlesungen'' (1878) – Principles of electrical theory. * ''Ueber galvanische Trockenelemente und deren Anwendung zu elektrometrischen und galvanometrischen Messungen'' (1885) – On galvanic

dry cell An electric battery is a source of electric power consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for powering electrical devices. When a battery is supplying power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its nega ...

s and their application to electrometric and galvanometric measurements.Wilhelm von Beetz
de.Wikisource (bibliography)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beetz, Wilhelm von Scientists from Berlin Academic staff of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Academic staff of the University of Bern Academic staff of the Technical University of Munich Presidents of the Technical University of Munich 19th-century German physicists 1822 births 1886 deaths Physicists from the Kingdom of Prussia