Johann Benedict Listing

Johann Benedict Listing was a German mathematician and physicist. He lived from 1808 to 1882.

He is best known for his early work in a field of mathematics called topology.

Listing was one of the first people to study how shapes can be stretched and twisted without tearing. His ideas helped create this important area of mathematics. Topology has many uses today in science and technology.

Because of his important contributions, the word “topology” comes from one of Listing’s own writings. His work still influences mathematicians and scientists around the world.

Early life and education

J. B. Listing was born in Frankfurt and later passed away in Göttingen. He studied mathematics and architecture at the University of Göttingen. He was also very interested in terrestrial magnetism and how our eyes see the world, called optics. In 1834, he earned his doctorate under Carl Friedrich Gauss. After that, he traveled for three years with Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen to learn about Mount Etna in Sicily.

Career

Johann Benedict Listing began his work in 1837 as a teacher of machine drawing, machine theory, and applied mathematics in Hanover. In 1839, he became a professor of physics. By 1849, he was teaching mathematics in Göttingen. He worked with a friend who studied how our eyes move.

Listing was encouraged by his teacher Gauss to study a part of math called topology. In 1847, he wrote a book that helped make the word “topology” famous. He also discovered special shapes, like the Möbius strip, and studied their properties. Listing also helped explain how our eyes work together and created the word “geoid” to describe the shape of the Earth.

Personal life

Johann Benedict Listing had a younger daughter named Anna. Anna's daughter became a well-known British war artist named Anna Airy.