8/12/2019 Gustav Robert Kirchoff

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Gustav Kirchoff 

There are a lot of great names in the world of science and one of the most notable ones is Gustav Robert

Kirchoff. This German physicist has made massive contributions to the fundamental understanding of black- body radiation emitted by heated objects, spectroscopy, and electrical circuits. e also worked with other

famous names in science and came up with other profound breakthroughs and theories. !ndeed, he is a man who

made great leaps and bounds in the world of physics and chemistry and there are things worth finding out aboutthis scientist.

His Early Life

Gustav Kirchoff was born in Konigsberg, "ast #russia where his father, $riedrich Kirchoff, worked as a lawcouncilor. $riedrich Kirchoff had a very strong sense of duty to the state of #russia and %ohanna enriette

&ittke was his wife. The Kirchoff family belonged to an intellectual community of Konigsberg that was

flourishing and being the most promising of his parents' children, Gustav was raised with the mindset thatserving the state was really the only open course for him. !n the state of #russia, (niversity staff and professors

were considered civil servants and so his parents believed that it was the best place for him since it was where

he could put his brains to work to serve his state.

Gustav Kirchoff e)celled in school and given his academic aptitude, his career flowed naturally. e went toschool in Konigsberg at the *lbertus (niversity of Konigsberg. !t was founded by the first duke of #russia,

*lbert back in +. %acobi and $ran /eumann set up a mathematics-physics seminar as a joint project in

Konigsberg. !n this seminar, %acobi and /eumann used to teach their students different research methods. Theseminar started in +011 and Kirchoff attended it from +01 to +02. !t was very unfortunate that %acobi fell ill

during the year +01 and so it turned out to be /eumann who had had the bigger influence on Kirchoff.

*t that time, /eumann was interested in mathematical physics most of all and it was at the same time that

Kirchhoff began his studies at Konigsberg. /eumann was then working on electrical inductions. /eumann had,in fact, just submitted the first of two major papers he wrote on the subject of electrical induction. This

happened in the year +0 while Kirchoff was his student. *t the (niversity of Konigsberg, Kirchoff was taught

 by $riedrich %ules Richelot.

His Work 

3uring the time he was studying under /eumann, he made the first of many outstanding research contributions

that were related to electrical current. !n +0, he announced Kirchoff's laws and they allowed the calculationof currents, voltages and resistances in electrical circuits that had multiple loops. This further e)tended German

mathematician Georg 4hm's work.

* couple of years later, Gustav Kirchoff's work would lead to recognie this error and prod him to come up

with a better and keener understanding of how the theory of electrostatics and electric currents could be and

should be combined.

e graduated from university in the year +05 and made the move to 6erlin. The conditions were rather poor inthe German 7onfederation at that time and it proved to be a difficult time. "motions and tensions from the

citiens were running high and trouble always seemed to be around the corner. 7rop failures and high rates of

unemployment also led to disturbances and discontent within the people. Trouble was also sparked when newscame out that 8ouis-#hilippe had been overthrown by an +00 uprising in #aris. /ot only was there revolution

in several German states but people also took up arms in 6erlin. The monarchy was in trouble with the socialists

and the republicans. $ortunately, Kirchoff was in a privileged position and was unaffected by the events of the

state so he pressed on with his chosen career. 6unsen moved to take a teaching spot in 6reslau and this waswhere he met Robert 6unsen who also became his lifelong friend. 6unsen moved to teach at the (niversity of

eidelberg in +09 and he made it a point to make arrangements for Kirchoff to move to eidelberg to teach as

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well.

*side from working with electricity and currents, he also made major discoveries in the field of chemistry. !n

the year +02:, Gustav Kirchoff and Robert 6unsen ;developer of the 6unsen burner with help from hisassistant< discovered cesium and rubidium. &ith the use of a spectroscope they had invented together, they

managed to spot these two alkali metals that the world had no previous knowledge of. Their discoveries marked

the beginning of a new era, that is, they introduced a new way to look for new elements. They found that thefirst = elements found > not counting the ones known since ancient eras > were released by electrolysis or

 products of chemical reactions.

Personal and Later Life

Gustav Kirchoff got married to one 7lara Richelot who was the daughter of $riedrich %ules Richelot, his

mathematics professor in Konigsberg. Together, he and 7lara had two daughters and three sons but 7lara died in

+02: and he was left to raise his children. This was made all the more challenging since he had a disability thatforced him to use crutches or a wheelchair most of the time. !n +059, he got married to 8uise 6rommel who

hailed from eidelberg.

e had numerous offers from other universities but he was ?uite happy and contented with eidelberg so he

turned down all offers. owever, his health continued to fail him and he realied that the e)perimental side of

the subject that he so loved was becoming impossible for him to accomplish. !n +05, he made the move to6erlin where he became chair of mathematical physics. The spot allowed him to teach and do research without

having to carry out any e)periments. *fter he took the position in 6erlin, he came out with his best known

treatise which is the @orlesungen Aber mathematische #hysik.

e died in +005 and his final resting place could now be found in Bt. Catthaus Kirchoff 7emetary in 6erlin. isgrave is just a few meters away from those of the 6rothers Grimm.