Aepinus, Franz Maria Ulrich Theodosius
Franz Maria Ulrich Theodosius Aepinus (1724-1802), born in Rostock, Mecklenberg-Schwerin (now Germany), is remembered as a pioneer in the application of mathematics and physics. He studied at Jena and Rostock and then went on to teach mathematics at Rostock from from 1747 to 1755. He later moved to St. Petersburg where he became an academician and professor of physics. He remained in St. Petersburg until 1798, eventually establishing himself as the courtier to Catherine the Great. He researched several different areas of mathematics including algebraic equations and partial differential equations. However, Aepinus is most remembered for his treatise Tentamen Theoriae Electricitatis et Magnetismi (An Attempt at a Theory of Electricity and Magnetism; 1759). This theory marked his first efforts at applying mathematics to the theory of electricity and magnetism.
Further Reading
- University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Aepinus Biography.
