mathematics

Hermann Kinkelin

Hermann Kinkelin is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hermann Kinkelin rather than just read about it. In short: Hermann Kinkelin (11 November 1832 – 1 January 1913) was a Swiss mathematician and politician. Life His family came from Lindau on Lake Constance.

Key takeaways

Hermann Kinkelin belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hermann Kinkelin to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hermann Kinkelin from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Hermann Kinkelin (11 November 1832 – 1 January 1913) was a Swiss mathematician and politician.

Life His family came from Lindau on Lake Constance. He studied at the Universities of Zurich, Lausanne, and Munich. In 1865 he became professor of mathematics at the University of Basel, where until his retirement in 1908, the full burden of teaching of mathematics was his responsibility. In 1867 he was naturalized in Basel. He was also a statistician, he founded the Swiss Statistical Society and the Statistical-economic society in Basel and led the 1870 and 1880 Federal census in Basel. Kinkelin's works dealt with the gamma function, infinite series, and solid geometry of the axonometric. Kinkelin produced more than 60 publications in actuarial mathematics and statistics. He was a founder of the Basel "mortality and age checkout" (later "Patria, Swiss life insurance company Mutual") and the Swiss Statistical Society, of which he was a member during 1877–86. Hermann Kinkelin died in Basel on 1 January 1913.

Publications Investigation into the formula n F ( n x ) = f ( x ) + f ( x + 1 n ) + f ( x + 2 n ) + … f ( x + n − 1 n ) . {\displaystyle \scriptstyle nF(nx)=f(x)+f(x+{\frac {1}{n}})+f(x+{\frac {2}{n}})+\ldots f(x+{\frac {n-1}{n}}).} Archiv der Mathematik und Physik 22, 1854, pp. 189–224 (Google Books, dito) The fundamental equations of the Γ(x) function, Mitteilungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Bern 385 und 386, 1857, pp. 1–11 (Internet-Archiv, dito) On some infinite series, Mitteilungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Bern 419 und 420, 1858, pp. 89–104 (Internet Archive) About a transcendent relatives of the gamma function and its application to the integral calculus, Journal für die reine und angewandte Mathematik 57, 1860, pp. 122–138 (GDZ) The oblique axonometric projection, Vierteljahrsschrift der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zürich 6, 1861, pp. 358–367 (Google Books) On the Theory of Prismoides, Archiv der Mathematik und Physik 39, 1862, p. 181–186 (Google Books, dito, dito) Proof of three sybling expressions of the triangle, Archiv der Mathematik und Physik 39, 1862, pp. 186–188 (Google Books, dito, dito) New evidence of the presence complex roots in an algebraic equation, Mathematische Annalen 1, 1869, pp. 502–506 (Google Books, GDZ, Jahrbuch-Rezension) The calculation of the Christian Easter, Zeitschrift für Mathematik und Physik 15, 1870, pp. 217–228 (Internet-Archiv) Lecture in Die Basler Mathematiker Daniel Bernoulli und Leonhard Euler, Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel 7 (Anhang), 1884, pp. 51–71 (Internet-Archiv) Constructions of the centers of curvature of conics, Zeitschrift für Mathematik und Physik 40, 1895, pp. 58–59 (Internet-Archiv, Jahrbuch-Rezension) About the gamma function, Verhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Basel 16, 1903, pp. 309–328 (Internet-Archiv, dito)

Monographs General theory of harmonic series with applications to number theory, Schweighauser, Basel 1862 (Google Books) Short notice of the metric weights and measures, 1876; Nachdruck: Andreas Mächler, Riehen 2006, ISBN 3-905837-02-1

References Johann Jakob Burckhardt: Kinkelin. Hermann. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 11, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1977, pp. 625 (Digitalisat). H. Fäh, in: Verhh. d. Schweizer. Naturforschenden Ges., 96. J.verslg., 1913 (P); G. Schärtlin, Erinnerungen an H. K., ebd.; R. Flatt, Verz. d. gedr. Veröff. v. H. K., ebd.; ders., in: Basler Jb. 1914(P); HBLS (P). Hermann Wichers: Kinkelin, Hermann in Historischen Lexikon der Schweiz

Hermann Kinkelin in History of Social Security in Switzerland

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hermann Kinkelin

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hermann Kinkelin claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hermann Kinkelin before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hermann Kinkelin ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hermann Kinkelin

In research: Hermann Kinkelin appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hermann Kinkelin in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hermann Kinkelin is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1832 births, 1913 deaths, Swiss mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hermann Kinkelin outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Hermann Kinkelin” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Hermann Kinkelin in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hermann Kinkelin means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hermann Kinkelin out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hermann Kinkelin in simple terms?

Hermann Kinkelin (11 November 1832 – 1 January 1913) was a Swiss mathematician and politician. Life His family came from Lindau on Lake Constance.

Why does Hermann Kinkelin matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hermann Kinkelin?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hermann Kinkelin.