Article,
Documents on the mathematical education of Edmund Külp (1800-1862), the mathematics teacher of Georg Cantor
ZDM, 39 (1): 107--118 (March 2007)
Abstract
Despite some studies by the historian Wilhelm Lorey, Edmund Külp is rather unknown today. His role in the development of mathematics and mathematics teaching in the nineteenth century, however, deserves closer attention. Having been the director of the höhere Gewerbe—und Realschule in Darmstadt, he can be counted among the founders of the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt. Moreover, he had been, still at the Realschule, the mathematics teacher of Georg Cantor. Recently detected documents concerning Külp’s mathematical formation in Brussels by A. Quetelet permit revealing insights into the evolution of Külp’s mathematical ideas and of his views on the context of mathematics in Germany. The contribution presents extracts from these documents (in French) and analyses them. Furthermore, the paper discusses possible influences exerted by Külp on Cantor.
