Ben Fisher's Möbius Report
(Click images to see bibliographic info)
Biography
August Ferdinand Möbius was born November 17th, 1790 in Schulpforta, Saxony (which is now Germany). His father was Johann Heinrich Möbius, a dancing teacher, who died when August was only three years old. August's mother was a descendant of Martin Luther. Möbius was very interested in mathematics, so when he was 13, he attended the College in Schuldforta in 1803. August graduated in 1809 and next studied at the University of Leipzig.
At the University, August's family wanted him to study law, but after six months he wasn't satisfied with the subject. He wanted to make his own choices, and not just follow the preferences of his family. Möbius started to study mathematics, physics, and astronomy instead of law.
Interestingly, although Möbius's passion was mathematics, August's most influential teacher was the astronomer Karl Mollweide. Even though he taught astronomy, Mollweide was well known for many mathematical discoveries. Mollweide taught Möbius the things he had discovered, including the Mollweide trigonometric relations and the Mollweide map projection. Mollwiede the astronomy teacher ended up teaching Möbius more about math than his math teacher did!
Möbius kept studying astronomy. He moved to Göttingen in 1813 where he studied under Gauss. Again, even though Gauss was the director of the Observatory in Göttingen, he was the greatest mathematician of his day. Möbius was trying to be an astronomer, but he just couldn't help learning math!
Möbius moved to Halle where he studied under Johann Pfaff, Gauss's teacher. By now, Möbius was very skilled at both the fields of mathematics and astronomy. In 1815, he wrote his doctoral thesis on The occultation of fixed stars. While he was writing his Hablilitation thesis, there was an attempt to draft him into the Prussian army. In response, Möbius wrote that:
This is the most horrible idea I have heard of , and anyone who shall venture, dare, hazard, make bold and have the audacity to propose it will not be safe from my dagger.
Obviously, Möbius didn't want to be a soldier. He never had to serve.
August finished his Habilitation thesis about Trigonometrical equations, continuing the work that his old teacher Mollweide had started. Professor Mollweide had recently become the Chair of Mathematics at Leipzig University, so Möbius had hopes of taking his previous position of Professor of Astronomy. In 1816, Möbius became the chair of astronomy and higher mechanics at the University of Leipzig.
At first, Möbius was appointed as Extraordinary Professor; he didn't receive promotion to full professor for almost 40 years. He wasn't a very good speaker, and hardly any students attended his lectures. He had to advertise the lectures as free of charge before any students thought his courses were worth taking.
In 1816, Möbius turned down an offer to be an astronomer in Griefswald, and in 1819 he didn't accept a post as a mathematician at Dorpat. He was loyal to Saxony and believed in the high quality of Leipzig. Mollweide died in 1825, and Möbius wanted to follow his steps by switching to the chair of Mathematics. However, this time another mathematician took the spot, and so Möbius still taught astronomy.
Möbius married in 1820, and was to have one daughter and two sons.
In 1844, Möbius finally received the Full Professorship in Astronomy in Leipzig University. He was invited to the University of Jena, but he still was loyal to Leipzig. He died September 26, 1868 in Leipzig, Germany.
