Christian Samuel Weiss
Christian Samuel Weiss (26 February 1780 – 1 October 1856) was a German mineralogist born in Leipzig.
Following graduation, he worked as a physics instructor in Leipzig from 1803 until 1808. and in the meantime, conducted geological studies of mountain formations in Tyrol, Switzerland and France (1806–08).[1] In 1810 he became a professor of mineralogy at the University of Berlin, where in 1818/19 and 1832/33, he served as university rector.[1] He died near Eger in Bohemia.
Weiss is credited for creating parameters of modern crystallography, and was instrumental in making it a branch of mathematical science. He stressed the significance of direction in crystals, considering crystallographic axes to be a possible basis for classification of crystals. He is credited for introducing the categorization schema of crystal systems, and has a basic law of crystallography named after him called the "Weiss zone law".
Works by Weiss that have been translated into English
- "On the methodical and natural distribution of the different systems of crystallisation" Edinburgh : Printed for A. Constable, 1823.
- "On the crystallographic discoveries and systems of Mohs and Weiss" (with Friedrich Mohs); Edinburgh : Printed for A. Constable, 1823.[2]
References
- Parts of this article are based on a translation of an equivalent article at the German Wikipedia.
- Historical atlas of crystallography by José Lima-de-Faria, Martin Julian Buerger
- 1 2 Christian Samuel Weiss — Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin biographical information
- ↑ WorldCat Identities Most widely held works by Christian Samuel Weiss
External links
- University of Cambridge DoITPoMS Teaching and Learning Packages (Weiss zone law explained)