Mathematics and Technology at the University of Tartu

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the History of Mechanism and Machine Science book series (HMMS, volume 27)

Abstract

In the nineteenth century the University of Tartu was among the leading universities in Europe. The story of its success started with the reopening of the university in 1802 as a result of the efforts of Georges Frédéric Parrot. Due to Parrot’s personal connections, the university managed to employ several outstanding personalities, mostly mathematicians, astronomers and natural scientists, whose works enabled development of a number of mathematical tools in close connection with their practical applications. Those applications benefited astronomy most directly. For this reason our focus is on the achievements of Wilhelm Struve. At the same time, we relate an amazing episode that had already happened in the history of the university during the late seventeenth century.

Keywords

University of Tartu (Dorpat) Dimberg Newton The Geodetic Arc Struve Parrot Mathematics Gauss Astronomy 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

The current paper was written thanks to the support from the Estonian Science Foundation Grant No. 9362.

The final version was completed during the author’s Kone Fellowship at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Tallinn University of TechnologyTallinnEstonia

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