Rudolf Rothe

author

Rudolf Rothe

1873–1942

A German applied mathematician and influential teacher, he spent much of his career at Berlin’s technical university and helped shape mathematical life in Germany during the early 20th century. His work ranged from geometry and differential equations to practical engineering mathematics.

1 Audiobook

Darstellende Geometrie des Geländes

Darstellende Geometrie des Geländes

by Rudolf Rothe

About the author

Born in Berlin on October 15, 1873, Rudolf Ernst Rothe studied mathematics at the University of Berlin and earned his doctorate in 1897 under Hermann Amandus Schwarz and Georg Frobenius. Early in his career he worked at the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt and later qualified as a lecturer at the Technical University in Berlin.

Rothe went on to hold professorships in Clausthal and Hanover before returning to Berlin in 1914 as a professor of mathematics. He remained there until his retirement in 1939, and he also served as rector of the Technische Hochschule Berlin in 1921–22. Alongside his teaching, he played an active role in the wider mathematical community, including leadership roles in the Berliner Mathematische Gesellschaft and the German Mathematical Society.

He is remembered as an applied mathematician whose interests connected pure mathematical ideas with mechanics, engineering, and scientific practice. Rothe died in Berlin on October 26, 1942.