Carathéodory, Constantin

Constantin Carathéodory (^∗September 13, 1873, in Berlin, German Empire; †February 2, 1950, in Munich, Germany) was a mathematician who spent most of his professional career in Germany and who made fundamental contributions to the axiomatic formulation of thermodynamics.

Constantin Carathéodory

Early Years and Education

Constantin Carathéodory was born in Berlin. His parents were Greek. He grew up in Brussels. His father Stephanos, a lawyer, served as the Ottoman ambassador to Belgium, St. Petersburg, and Berlin. His mother, Despina, née Petrokokkinos, was from the island of Chios.

Constantin Carathéodory’s maternal grandmother educated the kids (that means Constantin and his younger sister) after the death of their mother. They employed a German maid who taught the children to speak German, but Constantin was already bilingual in French and Greek by this time.

Constantin Carathéodory attended at first a private school in Vanderstock in 1881. He left after 2 years and then spent time...