Christian Samuel Weiss
Christian Samuel Weiss | |
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Born | (1780-02-26)26 February 1780 Leipzig, Germany |
Died | 1 October 1856(1856-10-01) (aged 76) Cheb, Austrian Empire |
Alma mater | Leipzig University |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics Mineralogy Mathematics |
Doctoral advisor | Abraham Gottlob Werner |
Notable students | Gustav Rose Franz Ernst Neumann |
Christian Samuel Weiss (26 February 1780 – 1 October 1856) was a German mineralogist born in Leipzig.
Following graduation, he worked as a physics instructor in Leipzig from 1803 until 1808. and in the meantime, conducted geological studies of mountain formations in Tyrol, Switzerland and France (1806–08).[1] In 1810 he became a professor of mineralogy at the University of Berlin, where in 1818/19 and 1832/33, he served as university rector.[1] He died near Eger in Bohemia.
Weiss is credited for creating parameters of modern crystallography, and was instrumental in making it a branch of mathematical science. He stressed the significance of direction in crystals, considering crystallographic axes to be a possible basis for classification of crystals. He is credited for introducing the categorization schema of crystal systems, and has a basic law of crystallography named after him called the "Weiss zone law".
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Weiss_Christian_Samuel_Berlin_Naturkundemuseum_2.jpg/255px-Weiss_Christian_Samuel_Berlin_Naturkundemuseum_2.jpg)
Works by Weiss that have been translated into English
- "On the methodical and natural distribution of the different systems of crystallisation" Edinburgh : Printed for A. Constable, 1823.
- "On the crystallographic discoveries and systems of Mohs and Weiss" (with Friedrich Mohs); Edinburgh : Printed for A. Constable, 1823.[2]
References
- Parts of this article are based on a translation of an equivalent article at the German Wikipedia.
- Historical atlas of crystallography by José Lima-de-Faria, Martin Julian Buerger
- ^ a b Christian Samuel Weiss — Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Archived 2015-04-17 at the Wayback Machine biographical information
- ^ WorldCat Identities Most widely held works by Christian Samuel Weiss
External links
- University of Cambridge DoITPoMS Teaching and Learning Packages (Weiss zone law explained)