Invention of heliotrope by Carl Friedrich Gauss

Carl Friedrich Gauss a German mathematician, invented the heliotrope, a device that uses mirrors to direct sunlight in the direction of the observer, who can be up to one hundred kilometers away.

A native of the Duchy of Braunschweig, he was born of a poor family with limited means. His achievements as he grew attracted the attention of Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, who financed his education and became his permanent patron and friend.

Beginning in 1795, Gauss studied mathematics, physics, and classical philology at the University of Go¨ttingen, which boasted a more extensive library. His physics professor, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg awakened in Gauss a lifelong interest in experimentation.

His published works were enough to establish his reputation as one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. Gauss discovered early on the law of quadratic reciprocity and, independently of Legendre, the method of least squares.

In 1817, Gauss began his work in relation to Geodesics. From 1821, Gauss was engaged by the governments of Hanover and Denmark in connection with geodetic survey work. This led to his extensive investigations in the theory of space curves and surfaces and his important contributions to differential geometry.

He conducted and actively participated in the project of land surveying (“triangulation”) in northern Germany, which extended westwards into what is today the Netherlands and eastwards to the former capital of Prussia, the town of Berlin.

On this occasion, he invented the heliotrope, a device used to direct sunlight, with arcsecond accuracy, in any given direction. This was a forerunner of modern laser devices.
Invention of heliotrope by Carl Friedrich Gauss