Hans Halvorson Physics, Logic, Philosophy

Christian Christiansen

There’s a lot to say about Christian Christiansen (1843-1917) as a person and as a physicist. But the main point here is just that he was Niels Bohr’s physics teacher at the university level, and his PhD advisor.

But B. knew Christiansen for many years in advance of his university studies. For Christiansen was one of the group of four scientists (including Christian Bohr, Harald Høffding, and Vilhelm Thomsen) who met regularly in the Bohr home for discussion.

  • Grew up in Jutland. Met Høffing when he was on a visit.
  • Christiansen seems to have been the one conservative Christian member of that group of four scientists.
  • Christiansen was like Christian Bohr in having a taste for paradoxes and puzzles.
  • Christiansen was an avid reader of Homer and other Greek classics.
  • Christiansen took Filosofikum with Rasmus Nielsen, but didn’t feel like he understood what philosophy is all about.
  • Was Christiansen innovative in the way he did physics? Did his style influence Niels Bohr in any notable ways?

Høffding reminisces about Christiansen:

Ogsaa ham kom jeg, især i senere Aar, til at staa nær, og ogsaa her kom mig en ejendommelig Natur imøde, en ung Kraft, der tidligt fandt sit bestemte Virkeomraade, men tillige et Sind, som led af Tynge og trængte til et absolut Tilhold i den Tro, han var voxet op i, dog med aaben Sans opsøgt det Menneskelige under alle Former og til alle Tider.

Primary literature

Christiansen wrote textbooks and articles in physics. He also wrote several works of popular science.

  • Indledning til den mathematiske Fysik, 1887.
  • Lærebog i Fysik, several volumes (Andet Bind: Elektricitet og Lys, 1894)
  • H. C. Ørsted som Naturfilosof, 1903
  • Nogle Bemærkninger om Naturvidenskabernes Betydning for vor Tid, 1905
  • Lucretius’ og Descartes’ Fysik i Forhold til Nutidens, 1913
  • Af Professor Christiansens Erindringer

External references