Koenig S
Full Name: Samuel Koenig
Nickname/Alias: christened Johann Samuel Koenig
Achievements: Koenig's law on kinetic energy.
Born: July 31, 1712; Budingen, Germany
Died: August 21, 1757; Zuilenstein (near Amerongen), Netherlands (Aged 45)
Field & Discipline: Mathematics; Mathematician
Language: German
Education: Private tuition
Major Work: "De universali principio aequilibrii et motus, in vi viva reperto" (1751, gives Koenig's law)
Life & Times:
In 1730 Koenig went to Basel, where he studied mathematics first under [studied under] Johann Bernoulli* and then, from 1733, under [studied under] Daniel Bernoulli*. From 1731 he also began to study the philosophical works of [studied] Leibniz*, which he found particularly compelling. After four years at Basel, during which he had studied the whole of mathematics, including [studied] Newton's* 'Principia mathematica,' in 1735 Koenig went to Marburg to continue his study of Leibniz's philosophy under the guidance of the latter's disciple, Christian von Wolff.
In 1737 Koenig returned to Bern, having begun to publish mathematical articles two years earlier. In Bern he met [a pal of] Maupertuis* for the first time, and wrote two papers on dynamics which appeared in 1738. However, in order to make a living he began to practice law, which proved far more profitable than mathematics. Near the end of 1738 Koenig went to Paris, where Koenig was introduced to [taught]Voltaire*and Emilie [taught] du Chatelet*, both of whom he began to instruct in Newtonian physics and the philosophy and mathematics of Leibniz. In 1739, together with Voltaire and du Chatelet, Koenig visited [visited] Reaumur*, the leading entomologist of the day who was conducting research in a wide variety fields. Through his discussions with Reaumur, Koenig was led to publish a work on the structure of honeycombs, on the basis of which he was elected as a corresponding member of the Paris Academy of Sciences. Around 1740 Koenig fell out with Mme du Chatelet - apparently over payment for Koenig's lessons. Koenig remained in Paris for the next 18 months, and then settled in Bern, where he continued to practise as a lawyer and began to study the mathematics of Maupertuis and Clairaut. In 1747 Koenig published a work on the shape of the Earth, based on what he had learnt from studying Clairaut's 'Theorie de la figure de la Terre' and other works on this topic.
In 1744 Koenig was exiled from Bern for 10 years because he signed a political petition that was considered too liberal. Fortunately, through the influence of [helped by] Haller*, Koenig finally obtained a chair of philosophy and mathematics at the University of Franeker in the Netherlands. Here he successfully established his reputation as a talented mathematician, and in 1749 he was called to The Hague as privy councillor and royal librarian. In the same year he was also elected, on Maupertuis's nomination, to the Berlin Academy of Sciences. While in Franeker, Koenig wrote his essay on the Principle of Least Action, which on its publication in 1751 was to cause such a split in the Berlin Academy. This work attacked his old mentor and president of the Berlin Academy, Maupertuis, accusing him of having plagiarized Leibniz's work on the principle. Now a devoted follower of Leibniz, Koenig claimed in his 1751 article that Leibniz had stated the Principle of Least Action in a letter of 1707 to Jacob Hermann, and that Maupertuis was fully aware of this fact. A major row followed publication, and Koenig was asked to present the original of the letter, since he had only produced a copy. Koenig failed to do so and, after an investigation, the mathematician [accused of fraud by] Euler* gave a report on the affair, accusing Koenig of fraud. As a result of the dispute Maupertuis left the Berlin Academy (1753), while Voltaire, [row with] d'Alembert*and Euler remained deeply involved for several years. Koenig himself lived for six more years following publication of his article, a period completely dominated by the dispute, despite the fact that his kinetic law of energy, which he published also in 1751, "De universali principio aequilibrii et motus, in vi viva reperto", has proved a major contribution to mathematics.
This was Koenig's formulation of the law (named after him) of the kinetic energy of the motion of a mass point system relative to its centre of gravity - which states that the kinetic energy of a system of mass points is equal to the sum of the kinetic energy of the motion of the system relative to the centre of gravity and of the kinetic energy of the total mass of the system considered as a whole, which moves as the centre of gravity of the system.
Assessment: Mathematician who was highly regarded in his day, most notably for his formulation of Koenig's law.
Oneliner: Samuel Koenig, mathematician
Bibliography:
- Dictionary of Scientific Biography.
Online reference Univ. of St. Andrews, Scotland.
Father: Samuel Koenig (1671-1750)
Mother: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown
Spouse: Unknown
Children: Unknown