Today's Birthdays: November 17

1790–1868, German Mathematician and Astronomer

Born in Schulpforta, Saxony. A professor of astronomy at the University of Leipzig, he made important contributions to theoretical astronomy with his publications The Principles of Astronomy (1836) and The Elements of Celestial Mechanics (1843). Mobius also focused on analytical geometry and was a pioneer in topology. He is best known, however, for his invention of the Mobius strip-a flat, rectangular strip with a half-twist and ends connected to form a continuous-sided, single-edged loop (see topology)-and the Mobius net, an important configuration in projective geometry.

Bibliography:

Augustus Mobius

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