Joseph Knar (January 1, 1800 – June 1, 1864) was an Austrian mathematician working at the University of Graz.[1] He is most well known for discovering Knar's formula, an infinite product formula involving the gamma function.

Life edit

From a poor family, Knar graduated from the University of Graz at the age of 19 after studying mathematics and law. In 1821, he became a full professor, a position which he held until his death from a stroke in 1864. He published several books including a two-volume textbook Lehrbuch der Elementarmathematik on elementary mathematics.

Knar's Formula edit

Knar's most famous mathematical contribution was his discovery of the infinite product formula

 

for  .[2]

Publications edit

  • Neues, sehr einfaches Verfahren zur Ausziehung der Wurzeln aus bestimmten Zahlen (1824)
  • Lehrbuch der Elementarmathematik, 2 volumes (1828–1829)
  • Theorie der harmonischen Reihen in Archiv der Mathematik und Physik (1864)

References edit

  1. ^ S. Gunther, Joseph Knar, Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie 16 (1882) 269.
  2. ^ J. Knar, Die harmonischen reihen, Archiv der Mathematik und Physik 41–42 (1864) p. 360