About Ferdinand von Lindemann
Carl Louis Ferdinand von Lindemann (12 April 1852 – 6 March 1939) was a German mathematician who proved in 1882 that π (pi) is a transcendental number, meaning it is not a root of any nonzero polynomial with rational coefficients. == Life and education == Lindemann was born in Hanover, the capital of the Kingdom of Hanover. His father, Ferdinand Lindemann, taught modern languages at a gymnasium in Hanover. His mother, Emilie Crusius, was the daughter of the gymnasium's headmaster. The family later moved to Schwerin, where young Ferdinand attended school. He studied mathematics at the University of Göttingen, the University of Erlangen, and the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. At the University of Erlangen, he received a doctorate, supervised by Felix Klein, on non-Euclidean geometry. Lindemann subsequently taught in Würzburg and at the University of Freiburg. During his time in Freiburg, Lindemann devised his proof that π is a transcendental number (see the Lindemann–Weierstrass theorem). After his time in Freiburg, Lindemann transferred to the University of Königsberg.
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