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Johannes Tropfke
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[[File:JohannesTropfkePortrait.jpg|thumb|Johannes Tropfke]]
'''Johannes Tropfke''' (14 Oktober 1866 – 10 November 1939) was a German mathematician and teacher, who is best remembered for his influential work on the history of elementary mathematics ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik'', which consists of seven volumes.
== Life ==
Tropfke was born in Berlin at Marienstraße 14 as the older of two sons of the cabinet maker Franz Tropfke. The house in which Tropfke was born was built by his grandfather Franz Joseph Tropfke around 1830 and is one of the few houses in the area, that didn't get destroyed during [[World War II]]. Tropfke grew up in Berlin and after his graduation from the Friedrichs-Gymnasium (high school) in 1884 he attended the university in Berlin to study sciences and mathematics. In 1889 he was awarded a degree to teach math and sciences at [[Gymnasium (Germany)|gymnasiums]] (high schools). Later he earned a [[PhD]] in matematics from the [[Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg|University of Halle]] for a thesis on [[elliptic integral]]s (''Zur Darstellung des elliptischen Integrales erster Gattung''), his advisor was [[Lazarus Fuchs]].<ref name="Folkerts">Menso Folkerts: [http://bit.ly/2MB8Wde ''Johannes Tropfke (1866-1939)''] at the websites of the ''Berliner Mathematische Gesellschaft'' (Berlin mathematical society), retrievd 2019-01-25 (German)</ref><ref>[http://bit.ly/2sIX3IZ ''Johannes Tropfke''] at the [[Mathematics Genealogy Project]] (retrieved 2019-01-25)</ref>
Tropfke first worked as teacher at the Friedrichs-Realgymnasium and at the Realgymnasium of [[Dorotheenstadt]] and in 1913 he became the principal of the newly founded Kirschner-Oberrealschule in [[Moabit]]. Tropfke stayed on in this position until his retirement in 1932. In 1907 he was awarded the title of a professor. He was one of the first members of the [[International Academy of the History of Science]] and in 1939 he was awarded the [[Leibniz medal]] by the [[Prussian Academy of Sciences]].<ref name="Folkerts"/>
Aside from his work in education and mathematics Tropfke also had a career in local politics. He was a member of the [[German People's Party]] and served as council member for the city of Berlin from 1907 to 1920.<ref name="Folkerts"/>
Tropfke married Frida Thyssen. The couple had a son Erich, who perished in [[World War I]], and a daughter Elisabeth. Tropfke passed away on 10 November 1939 in the very same house in which he was born.<ref name="Folkerts"/>
== Work ==
[[File:Gedenktafel Marienstr 14 (Mitte) Johannes Tropfke.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|memorial plaque at Marienstraße 14]]
Tropfke's most important contributions were in the history of mathematics. His seminal work ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik'' originally consisted of two volumes, when it was first published in 1903 and got expanded into to seven volumes for its third edition in 1939. The structure and focus of Tropfke's work differed somewhat from most work in the history of mathematics at the time. Instead of structuring the material chronologically with a focus on the biography of mathematicians, Tropfke selected to organize it by mathematical fields and then focussed on the development of concepts and terminology in those fields rather than on biographical aspects. In particular with its third edition Tropfke's ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik'' was also one of the most extensive compilations on the history of mathematics, which led to it becoming a well known and influential reference work.<ref>Solomon Gandz: ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik - dritter Band, dritte Auflage (review)'' . Isis, vol. 29, no. 1, 1938, pp. 167–169 ([http://bit.ly/2MB8WKg JSTOR])</ref><ref>David Eugene Smith: ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik - erster Band, dritte Auflage (review)''. The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 38, no. 6, 1931, pp. 331–334 ([http://bit.ly/2sJv3VA JSTOR]) </ref><ref>R. B. McClenon: ''Review: Johannes Tropfke, Geschichte der Elementarmathematik''. Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., Volume 31, Number 8 (1925), pp. 461-462 ([http://bit.ly/2MwuI1F online copy])</ref><ref name="Folkerts"/>
The publication of a fourth revised edition under the direction of [[Kurt Vogel (historian)|Kurt Vogel]], [[Karin Reich]] and [[Helmuth Gericke]] began from 1980 onwards, more than 40 years after Tropfke's death.<ref>Michael S. Mahoney: ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik - erster Band, vierte Auflage (review)''. Isis, vol. 72, no. 1, 1981, pp. 115–116. ([http://bit.ly/2sIX5R7 JSTOR]) </ref>
== External links ==
*Menso Folkerts: [http://bit.ly/2MB8Wde ''Johannes Tropfke (1866-1939)''] at the websites of the ''Berliner Mathematische Gesellschaft'' (German)
== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Historians of mathematics]]
[[Category:20th-century educators]]
[[Category:1866 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
'''Johannes Tropfke''' (14 Oktober 1866 – 10 November 1939) was a German mathematician and teacher, who is best remembered for his influential work on the history of elementary mathematics ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik'', which consists of seven volumes.
== Life ==
Tropfke was born in Berlin at Marienstraße 14 as the older of two sons of the cabinet maker Franz Tropfke. The house in which Tropfke was born was built by his grandfather Franz Joseph Tropfke around 1830 and is one of the few houses in the area, that didn't get destroyed during [[World War II]]. Tropfke grew up in Berlin and after his graduation from the Friedrichs-Gymnasium (high school) in 1884 he attended the university in Berlin to study sciences and mathematics. In 1889 he was awarded a degree to teach math and sciences at [[Gymnasium (Germany)|gymnasiums]] (high schools). Later he earned a [[PhD]] in matematics from the [[Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg|University of Halle]] for a thesis on [[elliptic integral]]s (''Zur Darstellung des elliptischen Integrales erster Gattung''), his advisor was [[Lazarus Fuchs]].<ref name="Folkerts">Menso Folkerts: [http://bit.ly/2MB8Wde ''Johannes Tropfke (1866-1939)''] at the websites of the ''Berliner Mathematische Gesellschaft'' (Berlin mathematical society), retrievd 2019-01-25 (German)</ref><ref>[http://bit.ly/2sIX3IZ ''Johannes Tropfke''] at the [[Mathematics Genealogy Project]] (retrieved 2019-01-25)</ref>
Tropfke first worked as teacher at the Friedrichs-Realgymnasium and at the Realgymnasium of [[Dorotheenstadt]] and in 1913 he became the principal of the newly founded Kirschner-Oberrealschule in [[Moabit]]. Tropfke stayed on in this position until his retirement in 1932. In 1907 he was awarded the title of a professor. He was one of the first members of the [[International Academy of the History of Science]] and in 1939 he was awarded the [[Leibniz medal]] by the [[Prussian Academy of Sciences]].<ref name="Folkerts"/>
Aside from his work in education and mathematics Tropfke also had a career in local politics. He was a member of the [[German People's Party]] and served as council member for the city of Berlin from 1907 to 1920.<ref name="Folkerts"/>
Tropfke married Frida Thyssen. The couple had a son Erich, who perished in [[World War I]], and a daughter Elisabeth. Tropfke passed away on 10 November 1939 in the very same house in which he was born.<ref name="Folkerts"/>
== Work ==
[[File:Gedenktafel Marienstr 14 (Mitte) Johannes Tropfke.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|memorial plaque at Marienstraße 14]]
Tropfke's most important contributions were in the history of mathematics. His seminal work ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik'' originally consisted of two volumes, when it was first published in 1903 and got expanded into to seven volumes for its third edition in 1939. The structure and focus of Tropfke's work differed somewhat from most work in the history of mathematics at the time. Instead of structuring the material chronologically with a focus on the biography of mathematicians, Tropfke selected to organize it by mathematical fields and then focussed on the development of concepts and terminology in those fields rather than on biographical aspects. In particular with its third edition Tropfke's ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik'' was also one of the most extensive compilations on the history of mathematics, which led to it becoming a well known and influential reference work.<ref>Solomon Gandz: ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik - dritter Band, dritte Auflage (review)'' . Isis, vol. 29, no. 1, 1938, pp. 167–169 ([http://bit.ly/2MB8WKg JSTOR])</ref><ref>David Eugene Smith: ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik - erster Band, dritte Auflage (review)''. The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 38, no. 6, 1931, pp. 331–334 ([http://bit.ly/2sJv3VA JSTOR]) </ref><ref>R. B. McClenon: ''Review: Johannes Tropfke, Geschichte der Elementarmathematik''. Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., Volume 31, Number 8 (1925), pp. 461-462 ([http://bit.ly/2MwuI1F online copy])</ref><ref name="Folkerts"/>
The publication of a fourth revised edition under the direction of [[Kurt Vogel (historian)|Kurt Vogel]], [[Karin Reich]] and [[Helmuth Gericke]] began from 1980 onwards, more than 40 years after Tropfke's death.<ref>Michael S. Mahoney: ''Geschichte der Elementarmathematik - erster Band, vierte Auflage (review)''. Isis, vol. 72, no. 1, 1981, pp. 115–116. ([http://bit.ly/2sIX5R7 JSTOR]) </ref>
== External links ==
*Menso Folkerts: [http://bit.ly/2MB8Wde ''Johannes Tropfke (1866-1939)''] at the websites of the ''Berliner Mathematische Gesellschaft'' (German)
== References ==
<references/>
[[Category:Historians of mathematics]]
[[Category:20th-century educators]]
[[Category:1866 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
January 25, 2019 at 07:14PM
