physics

Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel

Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel 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 Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel rather than just read about it. In short: Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel (17 May 1814 – 18 February 1899) was a German physicist who was among the first to identify pyroelectric effects and the rotation of the plane of optical polarization in fluorspar upon application of electricity. Hankel was born in Ermsleben at the base of the Harz mountains where his father was a cantor and teacher at a school.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel (17 May 1814 – 18 February 1899) was a German physicist who was among the first to identify pyroelectric effects and the rotation of the plane of optical polarization in fluorspar upon application of electricity. Hankel was born in Ermsleben at the base of the Harz mountains where his father was a cantor and teacher at a school. He enjoyed working with tools at a young age and became interested in mathematics at the Quedlinburg high school. He then went to the University of Halle to study theology but he moved to science and became an assistant to Johann Schweigger. He taught at the Francke Foundations in Halle after 1836, earning to support younger siblings after the death of both parents. He completed his doctorate in Halle on thermoelectricity in crystals and habilitated in 1840. He became an associated professor in Halle in 1847 and joined as a full professor at the University of Leipzig in 1849. Poor eyesight forced him to give up teaching but he continued to publish. Hankel's major findings were that the phenomenon of pyroelectricity was not limited to crystals with asymmetries (hemimorphism). He published 30 papers on the topic of pyroelectricity. He also studied thermal effects on galvanic cells and took an interest in atmospheric electricity. Hankel married the daughter of a farmer in 1838 and they had a son who became a noted mathematician Hermann Hankel (1839–1873). His wife died on the day of their 60th wedding anniversary and he died a year later.

See also Physical crystallography before X-rays

References

External links Elektrische Untersuchungen (1856)

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel 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 Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel 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 Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel 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 Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel

In research: Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel 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 Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel 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: Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1814 births, 1899 deaths, German physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel 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 Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel in simple terms?

Why does Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel 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 Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel?

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 Wilhelm Gottlieb Hankel.