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Theodor Reye

1838 – 1919

German mathematician

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About Theodor Reye

Lived 1838 – 1919 (aged 81). Theodor Reye was a German mathematician, university teacher, physicist and scientist.

Karl Theodor Reye (born 20 June 1838 in Ritzebüttel, Germany and died 2 July 1919 in Würzburg, Germany) was a German mathematician. He contributed to geometry, particularly projective geometry and synthetic geometry. He is best known for his introduction of configurations in the second edition of his book, Geometrie der Lage (Geometry of Position, 1876). The Reye configuration of 12 points, 12 planes, and 16 lines is named after him.

Reye also developed a novel solution to the following three-dimensional extension of the problem of Apollonius: Construct all possible spheres that are simultaneously tangent to four given spheres.

Life

Reye obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Göttingen in 1861. His dissertation was entitled "Die mechanische Wärme-Theorie und das Spannungsgesetz der Gase" (The mechanical theory of heat and the potential law of gases).

Mathematical work

Reye worked on conic sections, quadrics and projective geometry.

Reye's work on linear manifolds of projective plane pencils and of bundles on spheres influenced later work by Corrado Segre on manifolds. He introduced Reye congruences, the earliest examples of Enriques surfaces.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Göttingen, Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums, Hochschule Hannover, ETH Zurich
Positions held
Rector
Employers
RWTH Aachen University, University of Strasbourg, ETH Zurich
Also known as
Karl Theodor Reye

People in Theodor Reye's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Theodor Reye's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Theodor Reye?

German mathematician (1838–1919)

When was Theodor Reye born?

Theodor Reye was born on 20 June 1838 in Ritzebüttel.

When did Theodor Reye die?

Theodor Reye died on 2 July 1919 in Würzburg.

What was Theodor Reye's occupation?

Theodor Reye was a mathematician, university teacher, physicist and scientist.

What nationality was Theodor Reye?

Theodor Reye was German.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Theodor Reye

· Wikidata: Q110059

· DBpedia: Theodor Reye

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Theodor Reye. https://biography.guide/theodor-reye/

MLA: "Theodor Reye." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/theodor-reye/.

Chicago: "Theodor Reye." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/theodor-reye/.

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