Max Margules

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Born	23 April 1856(1856-04-23) Brody, Galicia, Austrian Empire
Died	4 October 1920(1920-10-04) (aged 64) Perchtoldsdorf, Niederösterreich
Residence	Austria, Germany
Fields	Meteorology
Institutions	Austria ZAMG (Vienna) University of Vienna
Alma mater	University of Vienna
Academic advisors	Ludwig Boltzmann
Known for	Margules formula Margules activity model
Notable awards	Hann Medal of Acknowledgement (1919)

Life and career

Max Margules studied mathematics, physics, and chemistry in Vienna. In 1877 he joined, as volunteer, ZAMG (Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics) in Vienna ^[1]. After two years he left Vienna to study 1 year at Berlin. He returned to Vienna and received his Phd degree in the area of Electrodynamics. During his doctoral studies he was Privatdozent. An unpaid position, but which allowed him to lecture students. Students' fees gave him some income. Later, administration offered this teaching job to someone else, which ended his academic career. In 1882 he returned to ZAMG. During this time he focused on electro- and hydrodynamic problems. In his free time he studied physical and physico-chemical problems. The Duhem–Margules equation and the Margules' Gibbs free energy equation are examples of his free-time devotion. In 1900 his interest switched to meteorology and deployed his thermodynamic knowledge. This led to the Margules formula, a formula for characterizing the slope of a front.
In 1919 the Austrian Society for Meteorology awarded him the silver Hann Medal of Acknowledgement. Margules accepted the medal, but rejected the money. He rejected all attempts to make the last year of his life bearable. His small pension and the devaluation of the currency due to WW I led to a life in poverty. He contented himself with food coupons in the post WW-I period. He got hunger edema and should be remedied. He refused to do this and on the 4th of October 1920 he died from starvation.

Today Julius von Hann, head of ZAMG in that time, and Max Margules are seen as theoretical pillars of meteorology.

Publications

Über die Schwingungen periodisch erwärmter Luft, in: Sbb. Wien, math. nat. Kl., Bd. 99, Abt. 2a, 1890
Luftbewegungen in einer rotierenden Sphäroidschale bei zonaler Druckverteilung, ibid., Bd. 101/02, Abt. 2a, 1892-93
Vergleichung der Barogramme von einigen Orten rings um Wien, in: Meteorolog. Z., Bd. 14, 1897
Material zum Studium der Druckverteilung und des Windes in NÖ, in: Jhb. der k. k. Centralanstalt für Meteorol. und Erdmagnetismus in Wien, NF, Bd. 35, 1900; Bd. 37, 1902
Temperaturstufen in NÖ im Winter 1898/99, ibid., Bd. 36, 1901
Über den Arbeitswert einer Luftdruckverteilung und die Erhaltung der Druckunterschiede, in: Denkschriften Wien, math.-nat. Kl., Bd. 73, 1901
Über rasche Erwärmungen, in: Meteorolog. Z., Bd. 20, 1903
Über Temperaturschwankungen auf hohen Bergen, ibid., Bd. 20, 1903
Über die Energie der Stürme, in: Jhb. der k. k. Centralanstalt für Meteorol. und Erdmagnetismus in Wien, NF, Bd. 42, 1905
Über Temperaturschichtung in stationär bewegter und in ruhender Luft, in: Meteorolog. Z., Hann-Bd., 1906
Über die Zusammensetzung der gesättigten Dämpfe von Mischungen. Sitzb. der math.-nat. Classe der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften Wien 104, 1885
Über die Änderung des vertikalen Temperaturgefälles durch Zusammendrückung oder Ausbreitung einer Luftmasse, ibid., Bd. 23, 1906
Zur Sturmtheorie, ibid., Bd. 23, 1906; etc.

Biography

Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon ÖBL, S. 84f
Neue Deutsche Biographie NDB, Bd. 16, S. 169; Familienartikel, 170f
Exner, W., Max Margules. In: Meteorologische Zeitschrift 37, 1920
Gold, E., Dr. Max Margules. In: Nature, Vol. 106, Issue 2661, S. 286-287 (1920)
In honor contribution of Max Margules to thermodynamics. Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion, Vol. 17, Nr. 1 / Jan. 1996. Springer, Boston
"Max Margules—A Cocktail of Meteorology and Thermodynamics", Jaime Wisniak, Journal of Phase Equilibria Vol. 24 No. 2 2003, p103-109

External links

• Quotation of Margules on PSU website [1]
• Life and work. http://maths.ucd.ie/~plynch/Publications/MTERF-TwoCol.pdf

References

1. ^ ZAMG = Central Institute of Meteorology in Vienna

Persondata
Name	Margules, Max
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	23 April 1856
Place of birth	Brody, Galicia, Austrian Empire
Date of death	4 October 1920
Place of death	Perchtoldsdorf, Niederösterreich