Carl Friedrich Gauß
Mathematiker und Astronom, 1777-1855
Carl Friedrich Gauß war ein deutscher Mathematiker, Statistiker, Astronom, Geodät und Physiker. Wegen seiner überragenden wissenschaftlichen Leistungen galt er bereits zu seinen Lebzeiten als Princeps Mathematicorum („Erster unter den Mathematikern“). Mit 18 Jahren entwickelte Gauß die Grundlagen der modernen Ausgleichungsrechnung und der mathematischen Statistik mit der er 1801 die Wiederentdeckung des ersten Asteroiden Ceres ermöglichte. Auf Gauß gehen die nichteuklidische Geometrie, zahlreiche mathematische Funktionen, Integralsätze, die Normalverteilung, erste Lösungen für elliptische Integrale und die gaußsche Krümmung zurück.
来源: Wikipedia
Mathematiker und Astronom (1777-1855). 2 eigenhändige Briefe mit Unterschrift. Göttingen. Gr.-4to. 2 1/2 pp. 3.XI.1838 1 1/2 pp. gr.-4to. 22.XII.1838 1 p. gr.-4to. Jeweils auf Doppelblatt. Mit Adresse. Fehlstelle auf den Respektblättern durch Öffnen des papierged. Siegels.
$ 34,890 / 32.000 €
(83839)
Sammlung von zwei langen, unveröffentlichten Briefen aus dem Jahr 1838, an den Berliner Physiker und Geologen Georg Adolf Erman (1806-77), der 1830 von einer mehrjährigen Weltreise zurückgekehrt und eben dabei war, seine Forschungsergebnisse zu publizieren ("Reise um die Welt durch Nordasien und die beiden Oceane", 5 Bde. historische Abt. [1833-42] und 2 Bde. physikalische Abt. [1835-41, mit Atlas]). An seine empirischen Beobachtungen zum Erdmagnetfeld konnte Gauß theoretisch anknüpfen. „Die magnetischen Beobachtungen, welche Eur.
Wohlgeboren auf Ihrer Reie um die Erde gemacht haben, sind fpr jeden Freund dieses Theils der Natorforschung von solcheem Interesse, daß ich bisher immer mit Sehnsucht auf das Erscheinen des zweiten Theils Ihres Wortes gehofft habe, aber leider bisher vergeblich. Ihre Declinationen haben Sie im ersten Theile dieses Werks vollständig mitgeteilt; die (ganzen) Inensitäten habe ich nun unlängst durch die neulich erschienene Schrift Sabine’s (Report on the Variations of the Magnetic Intensity London 1838) kennengelernt. Es fehlen nun aber noch die Inclinationen. sind einige daraus in Poppendorffer Annalen (1829 2 und 3) angegeben; aber theils bin ich zweifelhaft, inwiefern man diese Mittheilungen für zuverlässig halten darf., da wenigstens die […] Declination von der späten Mittheilung in Ihrem Werk fast alle differiren; theils indessen Sie auch uns ein Theil Ihrer Reise, so daß ich z.b. Ihre Inclination auf Sitka nirgends habe auffinden können. Für die Theorie kann man nun aber von der sogenannten ganzen Intensität eigentlich gar keinen Gebrauch machen, sondern man muß erst von derselben auf die horizontale Intensität zurückgehen, aus der sie abgeleitet war; ein Satz, den ich bereits in einem früheren Brief an Sie erwähnt hatte, auch sonst mehrmals ausgesprochen, leider ohne bisher meinen Wunsch erfüllt zu sehn […]“ (Br. v. 3.XI.1838). „Durch Ihre gewogentliche Bereitwilligkeit, meine Bitte zu erfüllen, haben Sie mich ungemein verpflichtet, und ich statte Ihnen für die mir bereits gemachten Mittheilungen meinen herzlichen Dank ab. So sehr mich nun aber die demnächstige weitere Vervollständigung derselben erfreuen wird, so muß ich doch wünschen, daß Ihnen solches keine Beschwerde machen, und daß Sie dabei nur nach Ihrer Bequemlichkeit verfahren. Darf ich jedoch dabei bezeichnen, was für mich vorzugsweise Interesse hat, so sind es zunächst die Beobachtungen von solchen Punkten, wo alle drei magnetischen Elemente vollständig bestimmt sind. Die königliche Societät in London hat bei dem englischen Gouvernement darauf angetragen, daß magnetische Stationen auf der Insel Helena, dem Kap, auf Ceylon, Van Diemensland [jetzt: Tasmanien] und in Kanada etablirt auf eine eigne Expedition zur Ausstellung magnetischer Beobachtungen in den höchsten erreichbaren südlichen Breiten veranstaltet werde. Es sind also schöne Aussichten, daß nach einigen Jahren unsrere Kenntnisse in diesem […] große Bereicherungen erhalten werden. […] (Br. v. 22.XII.1838)..
Mathematiker (1777-1856). Autograph letter signed „Gauß“. Göttingen. 8vo. 2 pp. Doppelblatt.
$ 13,084 / 12.000 €
(94485)
Nice letter with two small drawings to the Munich engineer Georg von Reichenbach (1771-1826) regarding the dispatch of a theodolite [= angle measuring instrument]: "[...] Your dear letter of December 21st of last year has given me, my most esteemed and dearest friend, courage and reassurance, as you promised me the theodolite for this April and the stadia rod for next July. Trusting in this promise, I have now taken all my measures for the triangulation, my assistants have been appointed and are about to begin the campaign; I am already having signal towers built at the suitable points, etc.
So please send the theodolite as soon as it is ready, without delay. With regard to the stadia rod, I am willing to wait until July, especially since, according to your letter, I have further improvements to hope for, and I do not wish to deprive Mr. Prof. Bohneberger of his. But once again, dearest Reichenbach, I impress upon your friendly heart the urgent need for the theodolite. Without it, I can do nothing and am in the greatest difficulty. Should, therefore – against my hope – the completion of this instrument be delayed by a few weeks longer than you promised, I earnestly request you to send me immediately, under my address, the theodolite of Mr. Prof. Schumacher, as he kindly offers to lend it to me for a short time in case of need, as he will also have written to you himself. Since only a small repair needs to be made to this instrument, which can be done in a few days, I count on this as the surest option. The successful progress of my operation depends primarily on a good start. May I add one more request regarding the theodolite, it would be to set up the thread network in this way [a small drawing], i.e., instead of a single vertical thread, to insert a double one, with a distance of about 30" or 40". I have found such an arrangement very useful when sighting very distant faint objects. But if, upon receipt of this, the network is already finished, leave it as it is, at least I would not want the dispatch of the instrument to be delayed by even one day [...]" - Old note at the top, slightly yellowed..
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4 eigenh. Briefe mit U.
Autograph ist nicht mehr verfügbar
Collection of four long, unpublished letters spanning more than a decade, all to the Berlin physicist and geologist Georg Adolf Erman (1806-77), who had returned from a long voyage around the world and was in the process of publishing his findings ("Reise um die Welt durch Nordasien und die beiden Oceane", 5 vols. of history [1833-42] and 2 vols. of physics [1835-41, with atlas]). Gauss was able to draw on Erman's empirical observations about earth's magnetic field. All four letters begin with thanks for gifts sent by Erman, then develop into extensive scientific discussions which even touch upon Gauss's thermogalvanic experiments. Also, Gauss mentions his attempts to obtain books of Russian fiction. - In 1836 Gauss thanks Erman for presenting him with the 2nd part of his "Reise um die Erde" ("Ortsbestimmungen und Declinationsbeobachtungen auf dem festen Lande"): "This work contains a great wealth of facts. I am particularly interested in your magnetic observations and therefore am glad that you decided to include in this early volume your compass declinations with their results. These, in connection with other observations, will serve to supply the gap left by Barlow's map of declinations [...] But now I dearly look forward to the publication of the second part which is to contain the intensities and inclination readings. Hopefully we will then soon possess a general map for the horizontal intensity, which is devoutly to be wished. Indeed, as things stand now, the entire intensity in most cases is to be conceived merely as a unit of calculation at which one cannot directly arrive with any degree of precision, but which is a mere function of immediately observable elements, such as one rarely will find together in a single place, and even more rarely with the same degree of reliability; and, even more importantly, there are precious few occasions on which the entire intensity will be of any use at all; what is really needed are those very separate elements themselves. To arrange the three coordinates in such a fashion that one of them represents the whole intensity would seem to me, considering the present state of affairs, like wanting to draw up a star index in longitude and latitude only, omitting right ascension and declination. Indeed, at close examination even this comparison proves misleading, as an astronomer ultimately needs latitudes and longitudes for planets and comets so as to establish a general theory, whereas to establish a general theory of the geomagnetic field deserving of the name it is indispensable to disassemble the whole intensity back into its components. To be sure, this statement, which you must not take as an off-handed remark but rather as the result of long and thorough deliberation, cannot possibly be explained in a letter, but this much I can add: that I am fully satisfied as to the method by which the establishment of an exhausting General Theory is to be attacked [...] You may be interested to learn that our recent thermogalvanic experiments have already succeeded in so amplifying an electric current that it is capable of setting even the 25 pound rods in violent motion after passing through a wire of a mile's length [...]". - In 1839 Gauss thanks for a "postcard from Kamchatka" and for the "full communication of Erman's declination readings": "I will be most happy soon to receive also the corrected data of your intensities, although there is no hurry about that. I am merely making mention of a few of your observations in an article intended for the 3rd part of the Findings of the Magnetic Society, the first sheet of which is now in the press. Should your corrected calculations for these 16 locations [followed by a table of 16 cities, including St Petersburg, Kazan, Moscow, San Francisco, and Rio de Janeiro] have yielded intensity readings departing from those published by Major Sabine, I would be able to include these changes in the proofs of the said article [...] According to the most recent news I received from England, our hopes that the government there might do something splendid for the study of the geomagnetic field have suffered a severe blow; but this is not for want of the scholars' diligence, and no blame can be attached to them if the government fails to act [...]". - In late 1841 Gauss thanks for the gift of the 2nd volume of "Reise um die Erde" ("Inclinationen und Intensitäten, Declinationsbeobachtungen auf der See. Periodische Declinationsveränderungen"): "Regarding your observations I can only agree with Sabine's judgment that they contain the most substantial and valuable contribution to the knowledge of magnetism ever made by anybody. It gives me pleasure to see that the new reduction of intensity readings for Tahiti differs considerably from the earlier one, approaching that of Fitz Roy, and nearly duplicating that of Belcher. The large difference, according to Sabine, is mainly due to local interferences [...] I am much pleased with your plans for a journal aiming at acquainting us with Russia's literary productions, the more so because I myself during the past year or two have begun to study the Russian language and find this occupation most agreeable entertainment. The only thing that rather spoils this hobby for me is the difficulty in obtaining Russian books [...] However, l'Appetit vient en mangeant, and in particular I should like to have more in the way of belles lettres. My fiction department so far is limited to Krylov's Fables, a few volumes of Pushkin, and the complete collection of the writings of your Yakutian friend Bestuyev-Martinsky. All my endeavors to obtain something through the German booksellers have been in vain; a single shop did not refuse me outright, but demanded, apart from other onerous conditions (such as that one must accept the shipment regardless of when it arrives, and whatever the charge), the absolutely precise titles of the books ordered [...]". - In 1849 Gauss thanks Erman for sending him various works, including the "3rd volume of the historical section of your travel account", and criticises an article that appeared in the "Report of the British Association for the Advancement of Science": "Observations all made from points upon or near a single line encircling the earth are quite as hopeless for such a purpose as would be the attempt to determine all the lunar elements and equations from the observations of a single week, even if they were made continuously from a hundred observatories. One might go even further and say that, to a degree, the observation data must not only encompass most of the earth's surface, but must also be more or less evenly distributed across the same [...] Altogether, the correction of my constants will certainly prove a tough nut to crack (for posterity), one that will turn out to be harder than the teeth of many a coming scientist [...]". - Clean and well-preserved throughout. Three letters are written in neat Latin handwriting, while that of 1841 is in German script, written somewhat overly carefully at first, then becoming more and more fluent and finally descending into a rather loose style.
E. Brief mit U.
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Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1856), mathematician. ALS. Göttingen, 6 April 1821. 8°. 2 pp. Double leaf. Slight defects to edges. In German. To the engineer Georg von Reichenbach (1771–1826) in Munich, regarding a theodolite (surveying instrument) which Reichenbach has promised to construct and send him. Gauss has therefore begun to plan his surveying campaign and is already having the requisite signal towers built. He reminds Reichenbach that he will be helpless without the theodolite. Should the completion of the instrument take longer than anticipated, Gauss writes, then he shall request Reichenbach to send him Professor Schumacher’s theodolite, currently undergoing minor repair work at Reichenbach’s shop, as the Professor has agreed to help out in the case of need. Gauss makes special requests concerning the construction of the instrument, adding a small sketch. – Old note at letterhead; slightly browned.
Eigenh. Brief mit U. ("Dein treuer Vater").
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Eigenh. Schreiben mit U.
Autograph ist nicht mehr verfügbar
Confirming receipt of a bill of exchange over 1166 thalers from the Hanoverian treasurer Johann Christoph Georg Enouy on behalf of the noted Munich-based instrument maker Georg von Reichenbach (1771-1826), councillor of saltworks, as payment for a transit telescope delivered to the Royal Observatory: "Daß ich unter heutigem Dato einen Wechsel auf 1166 2/3 rth. Conventionsmünze für Herrn Salinenrath von Reichenbach in München, als Bezahlung für ein der k. Sternwarte geliefertes Passageninstrument von dem Rechnungsführer der Universitätscasse Hrn. Klosterregistrator Enouy in Hannover zugesandt erhalten habe, bescheinige ich hiedurch [...]".