earth science

Wolfgang Franz von Kobell

Wolfgang Franz von Kobell is a earth science 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 Wolfgang Franz von Kobell rather than just read about it. In short: Wolfgang Xavier Franz Ritter von Kobell (19 July 1803 – 11 November 1882) was a German mineralogist and writer of short stories and poems in Bavarian dialect. Biography Kobell was born in Munich, Bavaria (where he also died), son of the painter Wilhelm Kobell.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Wolfgang Xavier Franz Ritter von Kobell (19 July 1803 – 11 November 1882) was a German mineralogist and writer of short stories and poems in Bavarian dialect.

Biography

Kobell was born in Munich, Bavaria (where he also died), son of the painter Wilhelm Kobell. After studying mineralogy in Landshut, he became professor of mineralogy in 1826 at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and in 1856 was appointed first curator of the Bavarian State collection of minerals. His greatest contributions were new methods in crystallography. In 1855, he invented the stauroscope for the study of the optical properties of crystals. The mineral kobellite is named after him, and he invented a comparative fusibility scale. Besides his work as a mineralogist, Kobell is also famous for writing many short stories and poems in the Bavarian dialect of Upper Bavaria. He was among the regular hunting companions of the Bavarian dukes and monarchs. His best known work is a short story which was later used as base for the popular Bavarian stage play Der Brandner Kasper. The story is about a blacksmith from Tegernsee, who is visited by the grim reaper and tricks him into drinking and gambling for some further years on earth. The grim reaper has some issues with his management and convinces Kasper to stay in paradise, after he took a look into it, similar as in the Joshua ben Levi legend. The play was adapted 1974 for the stage by a grandnephew of Kobell, Kurt Wilhelm. There are different television and movie adaptations. Each year before All Saints' Day it is being sent by the Bayerischer Rundfunk (Bavarian Broadcasting Agency). Kobell's writing shows great comic awareness and the ability to combine a rich sense of fantasy with realism. 1834 Kobell went for a study journey to Greece during the short term kingdom of King Otto of Greece and was member of different academies. He pioneered as well early photographic and photochemistry procedures together with Carl August von Steinheil.

Works

Scientific Charakteristik der Mineralien (2 vols. 1830–1831) Tafeln zur Bestimmung der Mineralien (1833, and later editions; 12th ed. by Konrad Oebbeke, 1884; 13th ed. 1893) Grundzüge der Mineralogie (1838) Galvanographie (1842; 2d ed. 1846), describing a method of his own invention Skizzen aus dem Steinreich (1850) Die Mineralogie (1858) Digital edition by the University and State Library Düsseldorf Mineralogie: Populäre Vorträge (1862) Geschichte der Mineralogie von 1650–1860 (1864) He was also the author of numerous scientific papers, and described many new minerals.

Works in dialect Schnadahüpfln und Sprüchln (2d ed. 1852) Gedichte in pfälzischer Mundart (1839–41) Jagd- und Weinlieder (1889)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wolfgang Franz von Kobell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wolfgang Franz von Kobell claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, 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 Wolfgang Franz von Kobell 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 Wolfgang Franz von Kobell 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 Wolfgang Franz von Kobell

In research: Wolfgang Franz von Kobell appears in earth science 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 Wolfgang Franz von Kobell 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: Wolfgang Franz von Kobell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1803 births, 1882 deaths, 19th-century German inventors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wolfgang Franz von Kobell 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.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Wolfgang Franz von Kobell” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Wolfgang Franz von Kobell in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is Wolfgang Franz von Kobell in simple terms?

Wolfgang Xavier Franz Ritter von Kobell (19 July 1803 – 11 November 1882) was a German mineralogist and writer of short stories and poems in Bavarian dialect. Biography Kobell was born in Munich, Bavaria (where he also died), son of the painter Wilhelm Kobell.

Why does Wolfgang Franz von Kobell matter?

Because it connects several earth science 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 Wolfgang Franz von Kobell?

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 Wolfgang Franz von Kobell.