Chapter 637 Scientists (3)
Eisenstein was born on April 16, 1823. And it was such a young man who was only 22 years old who successfully shocked the entire European mathematics community into silence in Franz's "Science" magazine.
He used a total of twenty-five articles to discuss quadratic and cubic forms, the reciprocity theorem of quadratic residues, the basic theorem of biquadratic residues, and notes on elliptic functions and Abelian functions.
In particular, he proved the biquadratic characteristic reciprocity theorem and the cubic reversal law, and discovered that the simplest quadratic covariate of a binary cubic equation is its Hesse determinant, which directly refuted the entire European mathematical community.
However, although Eisenstein's discovery was great, the Royal Society of Science in Vienna had some difficulties. Because the composition of this guy is so problematic, he is a Jew, a Protestant, and he comes from Prussia.
He had almost stacked up all the BUFFs that the Austrian Empire hated, but Franz didn't think it mattered. Great scientific discoveries should not be buried under political elements.
And listing Eisenstein as the winner of the mathematics prize in Science magazine will undoubtedly cause huge controversy, and this controversy will have a huge communication effect.
It has a much better publicity effect than the million-florin prize established by Franz.
It can not only reflect the fairness, openness and impartiality of Science magazine's awards, but also promote the academic environment of the Austrian Empire. After all, the Austrian Empire has always given people the impression of being synonymous with autocracy and backwardness.
This kind of reputation usually does not bring direct advantages or disadvantages, but it will subtly change the perceptions of the country's citizens, even neutral parties and hostile forces.
At the same time, it is also a reverse incentive for Austrian domestic academic circles. Although science and technology is still in its infancy, many people already have the outrageous idea that "Austria is number one in the world in science and technology."
Franz still thought it would be better to let this group of people wake up. After all, there is no need to be complacent and arrogant. Franz believed that science and technology were the primary productive forces, rather than exploitation by capital.
Although Franz was the largest capitalist and landowner in the Austrian Empire and even the entire German region at this time, he might also be a bureaucrat and spokesperson for imperial power in the future.
In addition, the so-called "million-dollar jackpot" is just a gimmick. In fact, there are multiple prizes with a total prize of one million florins.
But this kind of word game is still very useful. After all, it is still a powerful tool to attract attention even today.
Even one hundred thousand florins has an extraordinary appeal to university professors. Historically, the annual salary of professors at the University of Vienna in Austria usually did not exceed 600 florins, and the annual salary of some well-known professors was only 1,000 florins. .
If an ordinary professor wants to earn 100,000 florins, it will take 166 years even if he does not eat or drink.
In fact, the annual salary of French professors during the same period was similar, usually between 1,000 and 2,000 francs (the exchange ratio in the book is used here, 1 florin = 2 francs.)
In comparison, professors in Prussia and the United States are much better paid. The annual salary of the former is usually between 800 and 1,200 thalers (the exchange ratio in the book is used here, 1 thaler = 1.5 florins.)
Theoretically, the annual salary of the latter can reach 600-2000 US dollars (1200-4000 florins), but there may be some deductions or wage arrears, and the actual income will be lower than expected.
The best salary for professors in this era is in the UK, usually between 300 and 1,000 pounds (3,000-10,000 florins), and some well-known professors from prestigious universities will even exceed this limit.
But even for a well-known British professor, the bonus of 100,000 florins is still very attractive.
By the way, the worst-paid people in this era are professors in the Apennines, whose income is only slightly higher than that of skilled workers.
The top physics professor in the Kingdom of Sardinia only has an annual salary of 500 florins, while the most famous water conservancy and architecture expert in the Papal States only has an annual salary of 300 florins.
Professors in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies even have to work part-time in farm work and handicrafts to support their families. However, the situation in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies is similar to that in Austria. Many professors themselves are rich and do not live on salary.
As for Russia, it is similar to France and Austria, except that the income may be relatively less, but the social status is far lower than that of its counterparts in Austria and France. This is mainly because they met a martial emperor.
Etienne Lenoir, the first inventor to create a practical internal combustion engine.
In fact, in addition to the internal combustion engine, he also had many inventions, but these were often half-finished products, which eventually led to this great inventor starving to death on the streets.
Historically, Etienne Lenoir was a Belgian, but due to the Luxembourg crisis, the West Luxembourg province where he lived had been included in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, so he became a German at this time.
This man's experience can be described as extremely unlucky. Both his parents are honest craftsmen in the urban-rural fringe of a small town.
But Etienne Lenoir was not willing to be a "sewing machine worker" all his life, so when he was sixteen, he left without saying goodbye and went to Paris, the capital of the world at that time.
However, it is strange that a country boy with no money, no education, no experience, and no connections, who is underage, can become famous in Paris.
At that time, Etienne Lenoir, who claimed that "if he didn't succeed, he would not come back" could only start as a "bus boy", but he was not allowed to learn any skills even after four years.
"Bus boy" refers to the lowest-level porter, not even an apprentice. It is a very despised profession and is usually held by those "black jobs".
In 1842, Etienne Lenoir responded to the call of King Leopold I of Belgium and wanted to make achievements on the battlefield.
However, he was captured by the passing German Allied Forces before he reached the Fortress of the Burning Sun, so the latter entered a Prussian prisoner of war camp.
Then the French came over, the Prussian army fled in panic, and Etienne Lenoir and other prisoners of war were released from the prison camp.
They thought they were finally saved this time, but they were forced to join the army by French General Jean Tourde, who said he would take them to Moscow.
However, due to the return of Albrecht's army, the French army quickly fell into a disadvantage under the harassment of his vanguard. Finally, Jean Durde decided to make a desperate move to confront the main force of the German Allied Forces led by Albrecht.
As a result, Etienne Lenoir became a prisoner of war again. He felt that he had not mixed well, so he did not plan to go home and claimed to be French.
As a result, he was almost killed by Luxembourgers and residents of the Principality of Liege on the way. Fortunately, his father, who had joined the German Confederate Army, recognized him and saved him from being beaten to death.
Etienne Lenoir once again returned to the town of his birth, originally thinking of continuing the family handicraft industry.
But Luxembourg, as one of the richest principalities in the entire German Confederation, has always attached great importance to education.
So Etienne Lenoir returned to school from the handicraft workshop. After completing all his studies in three years, he was recommended by the Luxembourg government with excellent results and entered the University of Vienna to study chemistry.
Franz naturally knew his name, so he used some tricks to let him enter the School of Mechanical Engineering.
Etienne Lenoir could only accept his fate. After all, he had experienced too many helpless things in just twenty years.