mathematics

Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist)

Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) 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 Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) rather than just read about it. In short: Wilhelm Jordan (1 March 1842, Ellwangen, Württemberg – 17 April 1899, Hanover) was a German geodesist who conducted surveys in Germany and Africa and founded the German geodesy journal. Biography Jordan was born in Ellwangen, a small town in southern Germany.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Wilhelm Jordan (1 March 1842, Ellwangen, Württemberg – 17 April 1899, Hanover) was a German geodesist who conducted surveys in Germany and Africa and founded the German geodesy journal.

Biography Jordan was born in Ellwangen, a small town in southern Germany. He studied at the polytechnic institute in Stuttgart and after working for two years as an engineering assistant on the preliminary stages of railway construction he returned there as an assistant in geodesy. In 1868, when he was 26 years old, he was appointed a full professor at Karlsruhe. In 1874 Jordan took part in the expedition of Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs to Libya. From 1881 until his death he was professor of geodesy and practical geometry at the Technical University of Hannover. He was a prolific writer and his best known work was his Handbuch der Vermessungskunde (Handbook of Geodesy). He is remembered among mathematicians for the Gauss–Jordan elimination algorithm, with Jordan improving the stability of the algorithm so it could be applied to minimizing the squared error in the sum of a series of surveying observations. This algebraic technique appeared in the third edition (1888) of his Textbook of Geodesy. Wilhelm Jordan is not to be confused with the French mathematician Camille Jordan (Jordan curve theorem), nor with the German physicist Pascual Jordan (Jordan algebras).

Gauss–Jordan elimination Evidence suggests that B.-I. Clasen also developed the Gauss–Jordan elimination method (independently from Jordan), and both published the method in 1888. Carl Friedrich Gauss did not directly contribute to either derivation.

Notes

External links English translation of Handbuch der Vermessungskunde, 8th edition, Vol. 1 English translation of Handbuch der Vermessungskunde, 8th edition, Vol. 3, 1st half English translation of Handbuch der Vermessungskunde, 8th edition, Vol. 3, 2nd half

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) 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 Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) 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 Jordan (geodesist) 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 Jordan (geodesist)

In research: Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) 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 Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) 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 Jordan (geodesist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1842 births, 1899 deaths, 19th-century German mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) 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 Jordan (geodesist) in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) in simple terms?

Wilhelm Jordan (1 March 1842, Ellwangen, Württemberg – 17 April 1899, Hanover) was a German geodesist who conducted surveys in Germany and Africa and founded the German geodesy journal. Biography Jordan was born in Ellwangen, a small town in southern Germany.

Why does Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist) 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 Wilhelm Jordan (geodesist)?

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 Jordan (geodesist).