His work on differential equations was influenced by Bunsen, Kirchhoff and Helmholtz, with whom he was close friends in Heidelberg, and he considered the differential equations of analytic mechanics.
Kanyang trabaho sa kaugalian equation ay naiimpluwensyahan ng Bunsen, Kirchhoff at Helmholtz, sa whom siya ay malapit na kaibigan sa Heidelberg, at siya ay isinasaalang-alang ang mga kaugalian equation ng analytic mechanics.