View source for Ernst Julius Amberg

{{Short description|Swiss mathematician and mountain climer}}
{{infobox scientist
|name=Ernst Julius Amberg
|image=ETH-BIB-Amberg, Ernst (1871-1952)-Portr 16037.jpg
|caption=Ernst in 1913
|birth_date={{birth date|1871|9|6|df=y}}
|birth_place=[[Zürich]], Switzerland
|death_date={{death date and age|1952|3|15|1871|9|6|df=y}}
|nationality=Swiss
|alma_mater=[[ETH Zurich]]<br>[[University of Zurich]]
|occupation={{flatlist|
*Mathematician
*mountain climber
}}
}}
'''Ernst Julius Amberg''' (6 September 1871 – 15 March 1952) was a Swiss mathematician and mountain climber. He is noteworthy as a mountain climber and as one of the organizers of the first [[International Congress of Mathematicians]] held in Zürich in 1897.<ref>{{cite book|author=Eminger, Stefanie Ursula|title=''Carl Friedrich Geiser and Ferdinand Rudio: The Men Behind the First International Congress of Mathematicians'' (PhD dissertation)|publisher=University of St Andrews|year=2015|pages=79–82|url=https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10023/6536/StefanieEmingerPhDThesis.pdf?sequence=3}}</ref>

==Biography==
Amberg was born on 6 September 1871 in [[Zürich]], He studied mathematics at [[ETH Zurich]] with a ''Lehrerdiplom'' (teaching diploma) in 1894. He received his doctorate in 1897 from the [[University of Zurich]].<ref name=macbio/> His dissertation ''Über einen Körper, dessen Zahlen sich rational aus zwei Quadratwurzeln zusammensetzen'' (On a field whose elements have the form  <math>c_0 + c_1 \sqrt{a} + c_2 \sqrt{b} + c_3 \sqrt{ab}</math>, where <math>c_0, c_1, c_2, c_3</math> are rational numbers) was supervised by [[Adolf Hurwitz]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Amberg, Ernst Julius|title=Über den Körper, dessen Zahlen sich rational aus zwei Quadratwurzeln zusammensetzen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qRNaAAAAYAAJ|year=1897|publisher=Füssli}}</ref><ref>{{MathGenealogyProject|name=Ernst Julius Amberg|id=9700}}</ref> As an assistant at ETH Zurich, Amberg was one of the members of the organizing committee of the first International Congress of Mathematicians. In May 1897 he joined a subcommittee that selected plenary speakers. Other members of the subcommittee were Hurwitz, [[Hermann Minkowski]], [[Karl Geiser]] and [[Jérôme Franel]]. When [[Johann Jakob Rebstein]] (because of military service) resigned as the organizing committee's German-language secretary, Amberg replaced him.<ref name=macbio>{{MacTutor Biography|id=Amberg|title=Ernst Julius Amberg}} (article by Stefanie Ursula Eminger)</ref>

After leaving ETH Zurich, he become a teacher at the ''[[Kantonsschule]]'' in [[Frauenfeld]] (in canton [[Thurgau]]). He was from 1903 to 1938 a mathematics teacher (as [[Walter Gröbli]]’s successor) at the ''Gymnasium'' in Zürich, as well as the ''Gymnasium''’s director from 1916 to 1938 (when he retired).<ref name=macbio/>

{{blockquote|In 1912 he also became assistant professor for mathematics and analytic geometry at the ETH, and was promoted to ''Titularprofessor'' in 1918. Furthermore, he also lectured on teaching skills for mathematics both at the ETH and at the University of Zurich. Amberg lectured at the ETH until his retirement in 1938.<ref name=macbio/>}}

During WW II, he was a substitute teacher in various Swiss ''Gymnasiums''. In addition to his school duties, he worked as an actuary for insurance and reinsurance companies. His dissertation seems to be his only published mathematical research, although he did write about actuarial mathematics and mathematics education.<ref name=macbio/>

He was a keen mountaineer and headed the Zürich section of the [[Swiss Alpine Club]] for six years.<ref name=macbio/>

{{blockquote|Together with Anton Züblin he was the first to climb [[Piz Gannaretsch]] (3040m) and [[Piz Vatgira]] (2983m), both in canton [[Grisons]].<ref name=macbio/>}}

Amberg was married but had no children.<ref name=macbio/>

==References==
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[[Category:19th-century Swiss mathematicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Swiss mathematicians]]
[[Category:ETH Zurich alumni]]
[[Category:University of Zurich alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of ETH Zurich]]
[[Category:Swiss mountain climbers]]
[[Category:Scientists from Zurich]]
[[Category:1871 births]]
[[Category:1952 deaths]]