Christian Ludwig Gerling

Christian Gerling
Christian Ludwig Gerling (1788-1864)
Born(1788-07-10)10 July 1788
Died15 January 1864(1864-01-15) (aged 75)
NationalityGerman
Alma materUniversity of Göttingen
Known forGeodetic triangulations
Scientific career
FieldsPhysicist and astronomer
InstitutionsUniversity of Marburg
Doctoral advisorCarl Friedrich Gauss
Doctoral studentsJulius Plücker

Christian Ludwig Gerling (10 July 1788 – 15 January 1864) studied under Carl Friedrich Gauss, obtaining his doctorate in 1812 for a thesis entitled: Methodi proiectionis orthographicae usum ad calculos parallacticos facilitandos explicavit simulque eclipsin solarem die, at the University of Göttingen. He is notable for his work on geodetics and in 1927 some 60 letters of correspondence between Gerling and Gauss on the topic were published. He is also notable as the doctoral advisor of Julius Plücker.

Gerling, whose father was also called Christian Ludwig Gerling and was a pastor at the St. Jacobi church, was born in Hamburg and attended the Johanneum. In 1817, he became a professor of mathematics at the University of Marburg.