physics

Karl Jelinek

Karl Jelinek is a physics 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 Karl Jelinek rather than just read about it. In short: Karl Jelinek (23 April 1822 in Brünn – 19 October 1876 in Vienna) was an Austrian physicist and meteorologist. Biography From 1839 to 1843 he studied law at the University of Vienna, where he also attended lectures given by mathematician Joseph Petzval, physicist Andreas von Ettingshausen and astronomer Joseph Johann Littrow.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Karl Jelinek (23 April 1822 in Brünn – 19 October 1876 in Vienna) was an Austrian physicist and meteorologist.

Biography From 1839 to 1843 he studied law at the University of Vienna, where he also attended lectures given by mathematician Joseph Petzval, physicist Andreas von Ettingshausen and astronomer Joseph Johann Littrow. After graduation, he worked as an assistant at observatories in Vienna (1843–47) and Prague (1847–52). In 1852 he was named a professor of mathematics at the Polytechnic Institute in Prague, and in 1863, succeeded Karl Kreil as director of the Centralanstalt für Meteorologie und Erdmagnetismus (Central Institute for Meteorology and Geomagnetism) in Vienna. From 1863, he also served as a professor of physics at the University of Vienna. In 1865 he founded the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Meteorologie (Austrian Society of Meteorology), of which, with Julius von Hann, he was editor of the organization's Zeitschrift (magazine).

Selected writings Beiträge zur construction selbstregistrirender meteorologischer apparate, 1850 – Contributions to the construction of self-registering meteorological instruments. Psychrometer-Tafeln für das hunderttheilige Thermometer, 1876 – Psychrometer tables for the centigrade thermometer. Über den jährlichen Gang der Temperatur und des Luftdruckes in Österreich und an einigen benachbarten Stationen, 1867 – On the daily changes in temperature according to the observations of meteorological stations in Austria. Jelinek's anleitung zur ausführung meteorologischer beobachtungen nebst einer sammlung von hilfstafeln, 1884 (with Julius von Hann) – Jelinek's guide to accomplishing meteorological observations.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Karl Jelinek

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Karl Jelinek claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, 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 Karl Jelinek 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 Karl Jelinek 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 Karl Jelinek

In research: Karl Jelinek appears in physics 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 Karl Jelinek 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: Karl Jelinek is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1822 births, 1876 deaths, Academic staff of the University of Vienna, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Karl Jelinek 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 Karl Jelinek in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Karl Jelinek in simple terms?

Karl Jelinek (23 April 1822 in Brünn – 19 October 1876 in Vienna) was an Austrian physicist and meteorologist. Biography From 1839 to 1843 he studied law at the University of Vienna, where he also attended lectures given by mathematician Joseph Petzval, physicist Andreas von Ettingshausen and astro…

Why does Karl Jelinek matter?

Because it connects several physics 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 Karl Jelinek?

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 Karl Jelinek.