Peter Theophil Riess (27 June 1804 – 22 October 1883) was a German physicist, known mostly for his work in electricity, particularly friction electricity, but also in the field of electromagnetic induction. In the latter work he developed two devices, the

spark micrometer The spark micrometer, also known as a Riess micrometer was a device used by 19th century physicists to measure potential in an electric circuit. It was developed principally by German physicist Peter Riess. It consisted of two electrodes very clo ...

(sometimes called the Riess micrometer) and the

Riess spiral Riess spirals, or Knochenhauer spirals, are a pair of spirally wound conductors with metal balls at their ends. Placing one above the other forms an induction coil. Heinrich Hertz used them in his discovery of radio waves.Jed Buchwald, ''The Creat ...

coils, both of which were used by

Heinrich Hertz Heinrich Rudolf Hertz ( ; ; 22 February 1857 – 1 January 1894) was a German physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic waves predicted by James Clerk Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism. The unit ...

in his experiments to prove the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Riess was the son of a wealthy jeweller in Berlin. He received his doctorate in 1831 from the University of Berlin. In the early years after graduation he stayed with his father who was ill and helped run the business. Even after his father died, he never sought an academic teaching position. However he was a fellow (Mitglied) of the Berlin Academy, the first Jewish member of that academy, and under its auspices, and within its journal, Riess published prolifically. He also published several books, as well as many articles in the

Annalen der Physik ''Annalen der Physik'' (English: ''Annals of Physics'') is one of the oldest scientific journals on physics; it has been published since 1799. The journal publishes original, peer-reviewed papers on experimental, theoretical, applied, and mathe ...

. Riess was a friend of most of the leading members of the Berlin intelligentsia of the period, and had interests in history, literature, art and music. He died in Berlin at age 79.

References

* 1804 births 1883 deaths 19th-century German physicists Scientists from Berlin {{Germany-academic-bio-stub

See also

References