mathematics

Johanna Piesch

Johanna Piesch 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 Johanna Piesch rather than just read about it. In short: Johanna (Hansi) Camilla Piesch (1898–1992) was an Austrian librarian, physicist and mathematician who is remembered for the pioneering contributions she made to switching algebra, one of the fundamentals of digital computing and programming languages. Biography Born on 6 June 1898 in Innsbruck, Johanna Camilla Piesch was the daughter of Oswald Piesch, a cavalry officer.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Johanna (Hansi) Camilla Piesch (1898–1992) was an Austrian librarian, physicist and mathematician who is remembered for the pioneering contributions she made to switching algebra, one of the fundamentals of digital computing and programming languages.

Biography Born on 6 June 1898 in Innsbruck, Johanna Camilla Piesch was the daughter of Oswald Piesch, a cavalry officer. She was brought up in Vienna where after primary school, she attended secondary school at the Reform Realgymnasium Dr. Wesely, matriculating in 1916. She went on to study physics at the University of Vienna, earning a doctorate in 1921. In addition, she received a teaching qualification in mathematics and physics in 1928. She joined the Post and Telegraph Service (Post- und Telegraphenverwaltung) in 1928, but had to take up early retirement in 1938 under the National Socialist regime. In July 1945, she was able to return to work, heading the PTT's laboratory. In February 1956, she moved to the library of the Technical University's documentation centre for technology and science. She retired in October 1962. It appears that after leaving her post in 1938, Piesch was sent to Berlin, where she began to work on switching algebra. This is supported by her publications on Boolean algebra in 1939, making her the first person to address its applications. In so doing, she paved the way for the Austrian mathematicians Adalbert Duschek and Otto Plechl who later undertook work on switching algebra. The simplification method put forward in her second publication is of particular note. The last 30 years of Piesch's life were devoted to social work. She died on 28 September 1992 in Vienna. Her work is widely considered of significance to the development of computer science.

Publications Johanna Piesch's significant publications include:

1939: Piesch, H., "Begriff der Allgerneinen Schaltungstechnik" (Concept of General Switching Theory), Archiv für Elektrotechnik, Vol. 33, pp. 672–686. 1939: Piesch, H., "Über die Vereinfachung von Allgeneinen Schaltungen" (On the Simplification of General Switching Circuits), Archiv fürElektrotechnik, Vol. 33, pp. 733–746. 1951: Piesch, H., "Systematik der Autornatischen Schaltung" (Systematics of Automatic Switching), OFT, Vol. 5, pp. 2–43. 1955: Piesch, H., "Die Matrix in der Schaltungsalebgra zur Planung Relaisgesteuerter Netzwerke" (Matrices in Switching Algebra for the Design of Relay Controlled Networks), Archiv für elektrische Übertragung, Vol. 9, pp. 460–468. 1956: Piesch, H., "Beitrdge zur Modernen Schaltalgebra" (Contributions to Modern Switching Algebra), Conference in Como, pp. 16–25. 1958: Piesch, H., and Sequenz, H, "Die Österreichischen Wegbereiter der Theorie der Elektrischen Schaltungen" (The Austrian Pioneers of the Theory of Electrical Switching), Elecktrotechnik & Maschinenbau, Vol. 75, pp. 241–245.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Johanna Piesch

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Johanna Piesch 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 Johanna Piesch 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 Johanna Piesch 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 Johanna Piesch

In research: Johanna Piesch 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 Johanna Piesch 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: Johanna Piesch is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1898 births, 1992 deaths, 20th-century librarians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Johanna Piesch 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.

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How to study Johanna Piesch in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Johanna Piesch 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 Johanna Piesch out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Johanna Piesch in simple terms?

Why does Johanna Piesch 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 Johanna Piesch?

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 Johanna Piesch.