mathematics

Urs Hochstrasser

Urs Hochstrasser 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 Urs Hochstrasser rather than just read about it. In short: Urs Hochstrasser (12 January 1926 – 21 January 2025) was a Swiss mathematician, physicist, and science administrator who played a significant role in shaping Switzerland's federal science policy in the late 20th century. He served as the Federal Delegate for Atomic Energy from 1961 and later as the first Director of the Division of Science and Research at the Federal Department of Home Affairs from 1969 to 1989.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Urs Hochstrasser (12 January 1926 – 21 January 2025) was a Swiss mathematician, physicist, and science administrator who played a significant role in shaping Switzerland's federal science policy in the late 20th century. He served as the Federal Delegate for Atomic Energy from 1961 and later as the first Director of the Division of Science and Research at the Federal Department of Home Affairs from 1969 to 1989.

Early life and education Hochstrasser was born on 12 January 1926 in Zurich, the son of Paul Hochstrasser, a civil engineer, and Margit Pók, who was of Hungarian origin. He studied mathematics and physics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, where he obtained his doctorate in 1954.

Academic career Following his doctoral studies, Hochstrasser worked as an assistant professor in Washington, D.C. He subsequently became an extraordinary professor of mathematics at the University of Kansas and served as director of its computing center from 1957 to 1958, working in the emerging field of computer science. Later in his career, Hochstrasser taught at ETH Zurich and, beginning in 1968, served as an honorary professor at the University of Bern.

Diplomatic and federal service In 1958, Hochstrasser became the first scientific advisor of the Swiss diplomatic service, serving in posts in Washington, D.C. and Ottawa. This position represented a new recognition of the importance of scientific expertise in diplomacy. In 1961, the Swiss Federal Council appointed Hochstrasser as the Federal Delegate for Atomic Energy. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing Switzerland's nuclear energy policy during a period of significant development in the field.

Director of the Division of Science and Research In 1969, Hochstrasser was appointed Director of the newly created Division of Science and Research at the Federal Department of Home Affairs. In this role, which he held until 1989, Hochstrasser was tasked with formulating and implementing a coherent and comprehensive science policy at the federal level. His tenure coincided with a period of significant expansion and modernization of Switzerland's research infrastructure and institutions.

Later activities and honors From 1993 to 1996, Hochstrasser served as president of the Association of Swiss People's Universities. In 2002, the University of Fribourg awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contributions to Swiss science and education. Hochstrasser died in Bern on 21 January 2025, aged 99.

Personal life Hochstrasser was married to Inge Herrmann, from whom he later divorced.

References This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC-BY SA. Text taken from Urs Hochstrasser, Andrea Weibel, Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. Translated by Françoise Senger.

Bibliography Festschrift zum 70. Geburtstag von Urs Hochstrasser, 1996

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Urs Hochstrasser

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Urs Hochstrasser 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 Urs Hochstrasser 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 Urs Hochstrasser 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 Urs Hochstrasser

In research: Urs Hochstrasser 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 Urs Hochstrasser 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: Urs Hochstrasser is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1926 births, 2025 deaths, 20th-century Swiss scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Urs Hochstrasser 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 Urs Hochstrasser in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Urs Hochstrasser in simple terms?

Why does Urs Hochstrasser 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 Urs Hochstrasser?

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 Urs Hochstrasser.