Mathematician:Ernst Friedrich Ferdinand Zermelo

Mathematician
German mathematician best known for his work on the foundations of mathematics.

Laid the groundwork (later to be enhanced by ) for what are now known as the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms of axiomatic set theory.

Nationality
Germany

History

 * Born: July 27, 1871, Berlin, German Empire
 * Died: May 21, 1953, Freiburg im Breisgau, West Germany

Theorems and Definitions

 * Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms: ZF and ZFC (with )
 * Zermelo's Theorem (Game Theory)
 * Zermelo's Theorem (Set Theory)

Publications

 * 1908: Investigations in the foundations of set theory I
 * 1930: On boundary numbers and domains of sets: new investigations in the foundations of set theory
 * 1908: Investigations in the foundations of set theory I
 * 1930: On boundary numbers and domains of sets: new investigations in the foundations of set theory
 * 1930: On boundary numbers and domains of sets: new investigations in the foundations of set theory

Critical view
On Zermelo's noble battle against choice-deniers:


 * Zermelo has found a new proof of the well-ordering theorem. I held its proof sheets in my own hands yesterday. The proof is marvellous and very simple. I myself had failed to go that way. He also has 8 pages of polemics with Poincaré, Bernstein, Jourdain, Peano, Hardy, Schoenflies etc., which are very funny and hit the logicists hard. He stresses the synthetic character of mathematics everywhere and accuses Poincaré of confusing set theory and logicism.


 * [A] treatise which has in respect to its sarcasm nothing like it in mathematical literature.