physics

Wilhelm Josef Grailich

Wilhelm Josef Grailich 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 Josef Grailich rather than just read about it. In short: Wilhelm Joseph Grailich (16 February 1829, in Pressburg – 13 September 1859, in Vienna) was an Austrian physicist, mineralogist and crystallographer. Education From 1847, Grailich studied sciences at the polytechnic institute in Vienna.

Key takeaways

Wilhelm Josef Grailich 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 Josef Grailich to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wilhelm Josef Grailich from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Wilhelm Joseph Grailich (16 February 1829, in Pressburg – 13 September 1859, in Vienna) was an Austrian physicist, mineralogist and crystallographer.

Education From 1847, Grailich studied sciences at the polytechnic institute in Vienna.

Career Grailich served as an assistant to Andreas von Ettingshausen in the institute of physics at the University of Vienna. In 1856 he became an assistant at the Hofmineraliencabinett, where soon afterwards, he succeeded Gustav Adolf Kenngott as "kustos-adjunkt". In 1857 he became an associate professor of higher physics at the university, and in 1859, was chosen as a member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences. In 1910, a thoroughfare in the Landstrasse district of Vienna was named Grailichgasse in his honor. Known for his work in crystal optics and crystal physics, he was the author of numerous scientific papers in the field of crystallography. In 1856, he translated William Hallowes Miller's textbook of crystallography into German as "Lehrbuch der Kristallographie". He explained the phenomenon of fluorescence in crystals, and is credited for making improvements to Wheatstone's vibration apparatus (in German: "Schwingungsapparat").

Personal life His full name was Andreas Wilhelm Joseph Grailich, he was son of Friedrich Joseph Grailich (teacher in the Lutheran School in Pressburg) and Carolina Neidherr. His grandfather was Andreas Grailich. On September 30, 1859, Grailich died in Vienna at the age of 30. His wife was Carolina Augusta von Ettingshausen, daughter of Andreas von Ettingshausen. His daughter was Auguste Grailich, mother of Rudolf Allers.

Selected works Untersuchungen über den Ein- und Zweiaxigen Glimmer, 1853 - Studies on uniaxial and biaxial mica. Das Sklerometer, ein Apparat zur genaueren Messung der Harte der Krystalle, 1854 - (with F Pekárek) - The sclerometer, an instrument for accurate measurement of the hardness of crystals. Untersuchungen über die physikalische Verhältnisse krystallisirter Körper, 1858 (with Viktor von Lang) - Studies on the physical conditions of crystallized bodies. Der Römerit, ein neues Mineral aus dem Rammelsberge, nebst Bemerkungen über die Bleiglätte, 1858 - Romerite, a new mineral from the Rammelsberg. Krystallographisch-optische Untersuchungen, 1858 - Crystallographic-optical studies.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wilhelm Josef Grailich

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wilhelm Josef Grailich 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 Josef Grailich 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 Josef Grailich 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 Josef Grailich

In research: Wilhelm Josef Grailich 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 Josef Grailich 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 Josef Grailich is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1829 births, 1859 deaths, Academic staff of the University of Vienna, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wilhelm Josef Grailich 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 Josef Grailich in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Wilhelm Josef Grailich in simple terms?

Wilhelm Joseph Grailich (16 February 1829, in Pressburg – 13 September 1859, in Vienna) was an Austrian physicist, mineralogist and crystallographer. Education From 1847, Grailich studied sciences at the polytechnic institute in Vienna.

Why does Wilhelm Josef Grailich 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 Josef Grailich?

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 Josef Grailich.