Person: Jacobsthal, Ernst
Ernst Jacobsthal was a German mathematician who wrote papers in such diverse fields as algebra, analysis, function theory and number theory.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- Ernst Jacobsthal studied mathematics at the University of Berlin where he was taught by Georg Frobenius, Hermann Schwarz and Issai Schur.
- Jacobsthal had a strange ability of bonding with anyone he came in touch with.
- Professor Ernst Jacobsthal was born on the 16th of October 1882 in Berlin with parents Dr Martin Jacobsthal and Ida, neé Rosenstern.
- This is presumably the reason why Professor Jacobsthal was always interested in medical research.
- In 1906, Jacobsthal graduated and earned his doctoral degree from Berlin University.
- In 1909, Jacobsthal became a teacher at Kaiser Wilhelms high school (realgymnasium) in Berlin.
- When Jacobsthal was associated with the College of Technology, it was however not in order to teach prospective engineers mathematics.
- Thus, the purpose of Jacobsthal's association with the College was primarily to lecture mathematics to prospective teachers in high school.
- When Hitler seized power in Germany, the seed was sown for the game of fate that later brought Jacobsthal to Norway.
- In other words, Jacobsthal was fired from his professorship.
- Jacobsthal, who was a researcher with his whole life and soul, and who probably was not very interested in teaching in the lower grades, realized that the only sensible thing to do was to resign his teacher position.
- August 1934 werden Sie, Herr Studiendrat Professor Dr Ernst Jacobsthal unter Gewährung des gesetzlichen Ruhegehalts zum 30.
- Ⓣ(At your request of August 29, 1934 and issuance of the statutory retirement pension, you, Professor Dr Ernst Jacobsthal, are displaced into retirement from September 30, 1934.
- In the spring of 1939, the conditions in Germany prompted Jacobsthal to decide that it was best to leave the Third Reich while it was still possible.
- Jacobsthal stayed in Trondheim during the autumn and felt comfortable in the mathematical environment there.
- The occupation of Norway must have come as a shock to both Jacobsthal and his wife, who had stayed behind in Berlin.
- The best that Professor Jacobsthal could now hope for, was that the war would be short and have an outcome that would make it possible for him to go back to Germany.
- Jacobsthal stayed in Trondheim until January 1943.
- When liberation came, Jacobsthal wanted to return to Trondheim to his friends and the mathematical environment there.
- Both Jacobsthal and Mrs Jacobsthal were very hospitable by nature.
- When the Freie Universität in West Berlin was founded after the war, Jacobsthal was very soon invited to be a guest lecturer during the summer term.
- Jacobsthal was a good ambassador for the new university in Berlin and obtained many good contacts for it.
- Due to deteriorating health, Jacobsthal was precluded from further lecturing following the autumn of 1957.
- Professor Jacobsthal was a very significant and versatile mathematician.
- Jacobsthal became a member of our community in 1946 and of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences (Norske Videnskapsakademi) in Oslo from 1950.
Born 16 October 1882, Berlin, Germany. Died 6 February 1965, Überlingen, Bodensee, Germany.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin Germany
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
-
- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
