German physicist and mathematician who in 1751 introduced the concept of the surface tension of liquids, likening it to a stretched membrane. His view that minute and imperceptible attractive forces maintain surface tension laid the foundation for the subsequent development of surface tension theory.

Segner taught physics and mathematics at the universities of Jena, Göttingen, and Halle. In 1750 he developed a simple-reaction waterwheel. The study of this machine by the mathematician Leonhard Euler led to the development of a crude turbine. Segner also studied the theory of the spinning top and published Elements of Arithmetic and Geometry as well as Nature of Liquid Surfaces.