Johannes Tropfke (14 October 1866 – 10 November 1939) was a German mathematician and teacher, who is best remembered for his influential work on the history of mathematics Geschichte der Elementarmathematik, which consists of seven volumes.

Later he earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Halle for a thesis on elliptic integrals (Zur Darstellung des elliptischen Integrales erster Gattung), his advisor was Lazarus Fuchs.

[1][2] Tropfke first worked as teacher at the Friedrichs-Realgymnasium and at the Realgymnasium of Dorotheenstadt and in 1913 he became the principal of the newly founded Kirschner-Oberrealschule in Moabit.

In particular with its second edition Tropfke's Geschichte der Elementarmathematik was also one of the most extensive compilations on the history of mathematics, which led to it becoming a well known and influential reference work.

[3][4][5][1] The publication of a fourth revised edition under the direction of Kurt Vogel, Karin Reich and Helmuth Gericke began from 1980 onwards, more than 40 years after Tropfke's death.