Christian Doppler

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Christian Doppler was an Austrian physicist and mathematician best known for his namesake scientific phenomenon - the Doppler Effect.

Personal Life

Early Life

Christian Doppler was born in Salzburg, Austria on November 29, 1803. He was born into a family of stonemasons and was one of five children. Doppler's parents, Johann and Theresia Doppler, were skeptical of their son's ability to be a stonemason due to his poor health. They also questioned his ability to succeed academically. After some consultation and counseling it was decided that young Christian was to attend the Vienna Polytechnic Institute (now the Vienna Institute of Technology). He went on to study at the University of Vienna after finishing at the Vienna Polytechnic Institute.

Life in Academia

After completing his studies, Doppler applied for a teaching position at the University of Vienna. He was appointed as an assistant professor teaching higher level mathematics. Considering his age, this was a rather lowly position so Doppler applied for a permanent professorship (tenure) at 30. While his applications were being considered, he was forced to work in a factory to make a living, since his position at the University of Vienna had been terminated.

Doppler almost left and moved to the United Stated; just as he was about to make a decision he received an offer from the Technical Secondary School located in Prague in 1835. He was not particularly happy with the position since he was only teaching basic mathematics. After some time, the school allowed him to teach higher mathematics for a few hours a week. His stint ended in 1841 when he was offered a professorship at the Vienna Polytechnic Institute. Doppler's time here was riddled with troubles. Although he dutifully carried his work, several students complained that his exams were unfair and he was therefore reprimanded. Moreover, Doppler fell into poor health during this time as well. After these troubles, Doppler was not keen on staying at the Polytechnic and was offered a position at the Academy of Mines and Forests where he could teach physics and mathematics.

By this point in his career, Doppler was gaining some traction in the world of science. After a short period of time he became the director of the Institute of Physics at Vienna University.

Scientific Contributions

The Doppler Effect

What are the mathematical equations that allow us to model this topic. For example [math]\displaystyle{ {\frac{d\vec{p}}{dt}}_{system} = \vec{F}_{net} }[/math] where p is the momentum of the system and F is the net force from the surroundings.

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