Jozef Maximilián Petzval

Jozef Maximilián Petzval (* January 6, 1807 Spisská Bela ( dt.Zipser Bela, Hungarian Szepesbéla ); † September 17, 1891 in Vienna), also known by its German name Josef Maximilian Petzval or Hungarian name József Petzval Miksa, was a Slovak mathematician.

Petzval studied and taught at the University of Pest ( part of the later Budapest) later. In 1837 he accepted a chair of mathematics at the University of Vienna. He was a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( MTA).

Petzval's most famous achievement is the portrait lens of Petzval, which after 150 years still has a certain importance. He made fundamental contributions to the theory of the aberrations of optical systems. Some of the central concepts of this field have been named after him:

  • The Petzval surface is generally curved image surface of an uncorrected optical system, a paraboloid of revolution.
  • In compliance with the Petzval condition the Petzval surface is flat.

In mathematics he worked on applications of the Laplace transform.

Writings

  • Report on the results of some studies dioptric ( Pest, 1843)
  • Integration of linear differential equations ( I-II, Vienna, 1853-59 )
  • Report on optical and dioptric studies (meeting reports, Vienna, 1857)
Adolf Dauthage Pest, Hungary Optical aberration Neue Deutsche Biographie
451050
de