Cornelis Zwikker
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Cornelis Zwikker(19 August 1900 – 20 April 1985) was a Dutchscientist.[1]
Biography
[edit]Zwikker was born inZaandamas the son of Klaartje Dil and the shopkeeper Klaas Cornelisz Zwikker. He married Johanna Dorothea Theinert (*1901, Zaandam) in 1924 in Zaandam. In 1918 he had started studying chemistry and later physics at theUniversity of Amsterdam,where in 1925 he obtained his PhD with the thesis "Physical properties ofwolframat high temperatures "under supervision of the Noble-laureatePieter Zeeman.[2]
From 1923 he worked as scientific researcher atPhilipsinEindhoven,but in 1929 he was appointed professor in theoretical and applied physics at theDelft University of Technology.He was involved in the acoustic design of sound studios and presided over multiple physics-related organizations. In 1945 he requested retirement from his professoriate in Delft and became technical director of the "light" section atPhilips.Director of the National Aeronautical Research Institute (NLL) from 1 November 1952 to 1 November 1956. In addition he advised for many years NLL and NLR as member of the Scientific Committee, from 1968 till 1972 as chairman. Between 1956 and 1970 he again was professor of physics, now at theEindhoven University of Technology.He lived in Eindhoven until the death of his wife in March 1984 and died inZwijndrechtin 1985.[1]
Work
[edit]Zwikker's contributions are mostly inphysicsandchemistry.In chemistry, he introduced theZwikker test.[3]In physics, he is known for his contributions toacoustics.[4]
Zwikker is the author of the classic geometry textbook,The Advanced Geometry of Plane Curves and Their Applications,designed to teach the applications ofcomplex numbersto the study ofcurvesand to the resolution of problems in geometry and engineering.[5]
Books
[edit]Zwikker wrote many books; the best known are the following:
- Sound Absorbing Materials(1949, with C. W. Kosten,ElsevierPublishing Co.)
- The Advanced Geometry of Plane Curves and Their Applications(1963,Dover Publications); originally published asAdvanced Plane Geometry(1950, North-Holland Publishing Co.)
References
[edit]- ^abBiography by H. K. Nagtegaal.(in Dutch)
- ^C. Zwikker, 1900 - 1985at the University of AmsterdamAlbum Academicum.
- ^de Faubert Maunder, M. J. (1975)."An improved field test for barbiturates and hydantoins with a modified cobalt(II) thiocyanate reagent".The Analyst.100(1197): 878–83.Bibcode:1975Ana...100..878D.doi:10.1039/an9750000878.PMID1221881.
- ^David Havelock; Sonoko Kuwano; Michael Vorländer (Editores) (2008).Handbook of Signal Processing in Acoustics.Springer Science & Business Media. p. 1169.ISBN978-0-387-77698-9.
- ^Rida T. Farouki (2008).Pythagorean-Hodograph Curves: Algebra and Geometry Inseparable.Springer Science & Business Media. p. 48.ISBN978-3-540-73397-3.
Further reading
[edit]- H. K. Nagtegaal. Genealogische en Historische Encyclopedie van Delft, deel II (1988), blz. 247, 248. (in Dutch)
- H. K. Nagtegaal. 60 jaar studie voor natuurkundig ingenieur te Delft, blz. 98. (in Dutch)