August Wiktor Witkowski (12 October 1854 – 21 January 1913), was a Polish

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

, professor and rector of

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

August Witkowski professor rector of Jagiellonian University 1893 obverse

Biography

August Witkowski was born in

Brody Brody ( uk, Броди; russian: Броды, Brodï; pl, Brody; german: Brody; yi, בראָד, Brod) is a city in Zolochiv Raion of Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately ...

, the city, which then belonged to

Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...

, part of the

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

. The secondary education he acquired in Brody in 1872, and then became a student of The Engineering Faculty of

Technical University An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

. Engineer diploma he acquired in 1877, and at the same time he gained a position of professor's assistant in Department of Geodetics Engineering. Shortly he entered

Lviv University The University of Lviv ( uk, Львівський університет, Lvivskyi universytet; pl, Uniwersytet Lwowski; german: Universität Lemberg, briefly known as the ''Theresianum'' in the early 19th century), presently the Ivan Franko Na ...

, where he studied the mathematics and physics. Owing to very good results of his education, he acquired a scholarship in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. He continued there studies under

Gustav Kirchhoff Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (; 12 March 1824 – 17 October 1887) was a German physicist who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits, spectroscopy, and the emission of black-body radiation by heated objects. He coine ...

direction (two years period). Next he moved to Great Britain for one-year studies under William Thomson-Lord Kelvin direction. After his return (1881) to

he was shortly qualified as an assistant professor (1882) and at the age of 33 he acquired a degree of associate professor (1887). Next year he was invited by the

and moved to

. He was appointed professor and chairman of Department of Physics of the

. In 1889 he became associate member and in 1893 a fellow of

Akademia Umiejętności Academy of Learning ( pl, Akademia Umiejętności; AU) was a primary Polish scientific institution during the annexation of Poland established in 1871. It was founded in Kraków as a continuation of the ''Kraków Scientific Society'' (''Towarzystw ...

. In 1892 the

and in 1912

granted him a "doctor honoris causa" degree. The foundation of a new building of Physics Department in Jagiellonian University (finished in 1912) – was mainly Witkowski contribution. That building was the

Collegium Witkowskiego The Collegium Witkowski (Witkowski College), in Kraków, Poland, is a Jagiellonian University building erected in 1908–11. It stands at ''ulica Gołębia'' (Dove Street) 13 and was named for physicist and Jagiellonian University rector August Wi ...

named after him. Shortly after his death, he was proclaimed its patron (later – in 2017 – the history department). In 1920 and 1921 he was also made a patron of two high schools in Poland: August Witkowski V High School in Krakow and August Witkowski Geodetic school in

Jarosław Jarosław (; uk, Ярослав, Yaroslav, ; yi, יאַרעסלאָוו, Yareslov; german: Jaroslau) is a town in south-eastern Poland, with 38,970 inhabitants, as of 30 June 2014. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (since 1999), previ ...

. In 1910 he became a president of the

(1910–1911). He died in 1913 and was buried at the

Rakowicki Cemetery Rakowicki Cemetery (English: ; pl, Cmentarz Rakowicki) is a historic necropolis and a cultural heritage monument located on 26 Rakowicka Street in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It lies within the Administrative District No. 1 ''Stare Miasto'' ...

(in his

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

tomb, section Ł, 24 January).

Works

He worked mostly as an experimental physicist. His research interests concentrated mostly in the

physical properties A physical property is any property that is measurable, whose value describes a state of a physical system. The changes in the physical properties of a system can be used to describe its changes between momentary states. Physical properties are o ...

and laws concerning gases especially in low temperatures. In this way, he contributed also in

meteorology Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

by his research of

expansion Expansion may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine * ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004 * ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970 * ''Expansio ...

and

compressibility In thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, the compressibility (also known as the coefficient of compressibility or, if the temperature is held constant, the isothermal compressibility) is a measure of the instantaneous relative volume change of a fl ...

of atmospheric air and by his investigation of

thermodynamic Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of ther ...

properties of air He was interested as well in electric phenomena in atmosphere. He ran investigation of atmosphere electricity in mountain environment. His research activities were also connected with new achievements of his Polish colleagues

Zygmunt Wróblewski Zygmunt, Zigmunt, Zigmund and spelling variations thereof are masculine given names and occasionally surnames. People so named include: Given name Medieval period * Sigismund I the Old (1467–1548), Zygmunt I Stary in Polish, King of Poland and Gr ...

and

Karol Olszewski Karol Stanisław Olszewski (29 January 1846 – 24 March 1915) was a Polish chemist, mathematician and physicist. Biography Olszewski was a graduate of Kazimierz Brodziński High School in Tarnów (I Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Kazimierza ...

who condensed and liquefied

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, an ...

and other gases in a record low temperature of −225 °C (48 K). He was interested in

optic Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviole ...

al properties of liquified gases He investigated as well acoustic properties of

compressed air Compressed air is air kept under a pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. Compressed air is an important medium for transfer of energy in industrial processes, and is used for power tools such as air hammers, drills, wrenches, and o ...

–

speed of sound The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elastic medium. At , the speed of sound in air is about , or one kilometre in or one mile in . It depends strongly on temperature as w ...

in air etc. In addition to his main contribution to

experimental physics Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and ...

, he also ran in later years of his scientific activity some interesting theoretical enquiries concerning e.g. the physical fundamentals of

harmony In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...

, the

principle of relativity In physics, the principle of relativity is the requirement that the equations describing the laws of physics have the same form in all admissible frames of reference. For example, in the framework of special relativity the Maxwell equations have ...

and the

electromagnetic In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of a ...

fundamentals of light. The main Witkowski achievements as academic teacher were a three volumes of handbook of physics, which were the basis of academic education of several generations of Polish physicists. He published also mathematical and physical tables for students.

Selected works

* (in Polish) Wiadomości początkowe z gieografii fizycznéj i meteorologii (Initial Information on Physical Geography and Meteorology),

Warszawa Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

, 1884; * (in French) Thermomètre électrique pour les basses températures (The Electric Thermometer for Low Temperatures), Cracovie, 1891; * (in French) Sur la dilatation et la compressibilité de l'air atmosphérique (On The Expansion and Compressibility of Atmospheric Air), Cracovie 891 ed.

; * (in Polish) O mierzeniu niskich temperatur (On The Measurement of Low Temperatures),

, 1891, ed. by

; * (in Polish) O rozszerzalności i ściśliwości powietrza (On The Expansibility and Compressibility of Air),

, 1891, ed. by

; * (in French) Propriétes optiques de l'oxygéne liquide (On Optical Properties of Liquid Oxygen) by Karol Olszewski and August Wiktor Witkowski, Cracovie, 1892; * (in Polish) Zasady fizyki (The Principles of Physics) – vol.1–3,

, 1892–1912, ed. by Księgarnia E. Wende i S-ka; * (in Polish) O własnościach optycznych ciekłego tlenu (On The Optical Properties of Liquid Oxygen) – by

, and August Wiktor Witkowski, Kraków 1893, ed. by

; * (in French) Sur la dispersion de la lumière dans l'oxygène liquide (On The Dispersion of Light in Liquid Oxygen) by Karol Olszewski and August Wiktor Witkowski, Cracovie, 1894, ed.

. * (in Polish) O własnościach termodynamicznych powietrza (On The Thermodynamic Properties of Air), 1896; * (in Polish) O oziębianiu się powietrza wskutek rozprężenia nieodwracalego (On The Cooling of Air by Irreversible Decompressing),

1898, ed. by

; * (in Polish) O prędkości głosu w powietrzu zgęszczonem (On The Speed of Sound in Compressed Air),

, 1899, ed. by

; * (in Polish) O podstawach fizycznych harmonii (On The Physical Fundamentals of Harmony),

1899, .fn. * (in Polish) Spostrzeżenia nad elektrycznością atmosferyczną w Zakopanem (The Remarks on The Atmospheric Electricity in

Zakopane Zakopane ( Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the extreme south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been par ...

1902, ed. by

; * (in Polish) Tablice logarytmowe i goniometryczne czterocyfrowe (The 4-digit

Logarithm In mathematics, the logarithm is the inverse function to exponentiation. That means the logarithm of a number to the base is the exponent to which must be raised, to produce . For example, since , the ''logarithm base'' 10 o ...

ic and Goniometric Tables), Warszawa, 1903, ed. by "Wiadomości Matematyczne" ("Mathematical News"); * (in Polish) Tablice matematyczno-fizyczne (The Mathematical and Physical Tables), Warszawa 1904, ed. by "Wiadomości Matematyczne" ("Mathematical News"); * (in French) Sur la dilatation de l'hydrogène (On The Expansion of Hydrogen), Cracovie 1905, ed. Imprimerie de l'Universite; * (in Polish) O rozszerzalności wodoru (On The Expansibility of Hydrogen),

, 1905, ed. by

; * (in Polish) Elektryczność i magnetyzm (The Electricity and Magnetism), Kraków 1905, ed. "Kółko matematyczne" ("Mathematical Circle"), * (in Polish) O zasadzie względności (On The Principle of Relativity ),

, 1909, ed. by

; * (in Polish) Teorya elektromagnetyczna światła (The Electromagnetic Theory of Light),

1910, ed. by H. Scherer & K. Zurzycki;

Bibliography

* (in Polish) Witkowski August entry in:Leksykon

PWN Leet (or "1337"), also known as eleet or leetspeak, is a system of modified spellings used primarily on the Internet. It often uses character replacements in ways that play on the similarity of their glyphs via reflection or other resemblance. ...

, 1972, p. 1284; * (in Polish) Maria Pawłowska – Uniwersytet Jagielloński (Kraków): KRAKOWSKO-LWOWSKIE PORTRETY NAUKOWE PROFESORÓW FIZYKI DOŚWIADCZALNEJ W XIX I PIERWSZEJ POŁOWIE XX WIEKU, I ICH KSIĘGOZBIORYSee: ir.nmu.org.ua/bitstream/handle/123456789/149055/121-129.pdf?sequence=1 cc.: 8 August 2017/ref> * (in Polish) Konstanty Zakrzewski: O działalności naukowej ś.p. Augusta Witkowskiego ("On Late August Witkowski scientific activity") – Lecture in Polskie Towarzystwo Przyrodników im. Kopernika in

, 1913, 12 June, ublished in:"Wiadomości Matematyczne" ("Mathematical News"), 1913, vol.5–6 p. 211–224; * (in Polish)

Władysław Natanson Władysław Natanson (1864–1937) was a Polish physicist. Life Natanson was head of Theoretical Physics at Kraków University from 1899 to 1935.

, Kilka słów wspomnień o Auguście Witkowskim (A Few Words Concerning August Witkowski Memory). "Wiadomości Matematyczne" ("Mathematical News") 1913, vol. 17, p. 93. * August Witkowski – WorldCat – see: https://www.worldcat.org/identities/viaf-54929460/.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Witkowski, August 1854 births 1913 deaths 20th-century Polish physicists Jagiellonian University faculty Polish Austro-Hungarians People from Brody Rectors of the Jagiellonian University Lviv Polytechnic alumni 19th-century Polish physicists