Emil Weyr

Emil Weyr (31 August / 1 September 1848 – 25 January 1894) was an Austrian-Czech mathematician, known for his numerous publications on geometry.

Born in Prague, Weyr attended the Prague Polytechnic, where he was taught by Heinrich Durège and Otto Wilhelm Fiedler.

Early life

The birthdate of Weyr is disputed. Parish records indicate that Emil was born in Prague, on 1 September 1848, whereas his family believed he was born on 31 August 1848 and celebrated his birthday on this date. His parents were František Weyr and Marie Rumplova. František was a mathematics professor at a secondary school Emil would later attend. Emil's parents had ten children, five sons and five daughters. One of his brothers Eduard Weyr, was also a mathematician.

Early Education

Emil attended Our Lady of the Snows primary school in 1854. Following this he would study at the German secondary school on Mikulandská street in Prague from 1859. By this age Emil was already fascinated by maths through his father. In 1865 he would start attending the Prague Polytechnic, where he would study for three years. He was taught by O.W.Fiedler.

Weyr was assistant to the mathematics chair Professor H.Durège in 1868. The following year Emil earned his Doctorate in Philosophy at Leipzig University. Ernst Mach suggested to Emil that he should make a request for Habilitation at the Prague University. On 3 May 1870 he was given the senior role in the geometry faculty of the Prague Polytechnic. Here he would attain his Ph.D. and publish over 30 papers over the period from 1869 to 1870.