Ludwig Otto Hesse

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Ludwig Otto Hesse

1811-1874

German mathematician who introduced the Hessian determinant while investigating the properties of cubic and quadratic curves. Hesse taught physics and chemistry prior to his career in mathematics, then was appointed to positions at Heidelberg and Munich as a professor of mathematics. Hesse's main body of work was in developing theories of invariants and algebraic functions. His theory of homogeneous forms was published with that of Arthur Cayley's.