1756-1827

German Physicist

Ernst Chladni worked in the fields of acoustics (the study of sound waves) and meteoritics (the study of meteorites). At the time, these areas of science were still in their infancy, and Chladni is sometimes known as the "father" of both of these disciplines.

Ernst Chladni was born in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1756. His father was a lawyer, and Chladni was expected to become a lawyer as well. He studied law at the Universities of Leipzig and Wittenberg and received his degree in 1782. His father died soon after Chladni graduated, and as a result, he was free to devote himself to his true love—science. He gave up the practice of law and stayed on at the University of Wittenberg for several more years in order to study mathematics and science.

Chladni had an interest in music and soon began...