Max August Zorn
Encyclopedia
Max August Zorn was a German
-born American
mathematician
. He was an algebraist
, group theorist
, and numerical analyst
. He is best known for Zorn's lemma, a powerful tool in set theory
that is applicable to a wide range of mathematical constructs such as vector space
s, ordered sets
, etc. Zorn's lemma was first discovered by K. Kuratowski
in 1922, and then independently by Zorn in 1935.
Zorn attended the University of Hamburg
. He received his Ph.D.
in April 1930 for a thesis on alternative algebra
s. He married Alice Schlottau and they had one son, Jens, and one daughter, Liz. Jens (6/19/1931) is an emeritus professor of physics at the University of Michigan and an accomplished sculptor. Max Zorn's grandson Eric Zorn
is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune
. Max Zorn's great-grandson, Alex Zorn, excelled in mathematics, was a USAMO qualifier in high school, and enrolled in the University of Chicago class of 2012 where he is concentrating in mathematics.
Max Zorn was appointed as an assistant at the University of Halle but he did not have the opportunity to work there for long since, in 1933, he was forced to leave Germany because of the Nazi policies. He was not, however, Jewish. He emigrated to the United States
and was appointed a Sterling Fellow at Yale University
. Following his years at Yale, he moved to UCLA where he remained until 1946. He left the University of California to become professor at Indiana University, holding this position from 1946 until he retired in 1971. He was thesis adviser for Israel Nathan Herstein
.
Max Zorn died in March of 1993 of congestive heart failure according to his obituary in the New York Times.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
. He was an algebraist
Abstract algebra
Abstract algebra is the subject area of mathematics that studies algebraic structures, such as groups, rings, fields, modules, vector spaces, and algebras...
, group theorist
Group (mathematics)
In mathematics, a group is an algebraic structure consisting of a set together with an operation that combines any two of its elements to form a third element. To qualify as a group, the set and the operation must satisfy a few conditions called group axioms, namely closure, associativity, identity...
, and numerical analyst
Numerical analysis
Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation for the problems of mathematical analysis ....
. He is best known for Zorn's lemma, a powerful tool in set theory
Set theory
Set theory is the branch of mathematics that studies sets, which are collections of objects. Although any type of object can be collected into a set, set theory is applied most often to objects that are relevant to mathematics...
that is applicable to a wide range of mathematical constructs such as vector space
Vector space
A vector space is a mathematical structure formed by a collection of vectors: objects that may be added together and multiplied by numbers, called scalars in this context. Scalars are often taken to be real numbers, but one may also consider vector spaces with scalar multiplication by complex...
s, ordered sets
Partially ordered set
In mathematics, especially order theory, a partially ordered set formalizes and generalizes the intuitive concept of an ordering, sequencing, or arrangement of the elements of a set. A poset consists of a set together with a binary relation that indicates that, for certain pairs of elements in the...
, etc. Zorn's lemma was first discovered by K. Kuratowski
Kazimierz Kuratowski
Kazimierz Kuratowski was a Polish mathematician and logician. He was one of the leading representatives of the Warsaw School of Mathematics.-Biography and studies:...
in 1922, and then independently by Zorn in 1935.
Zorn attended the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
. He received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in April 1930 for a thesis on alternative algebra
Alternative algebra
In abstract algebra, an alternative algebra is an algebra in which multiplication need not be associative, only alternative. That is, one must have*x = y*x = y...
s. He married Alice Schlottau and they had one son, Jens, and one daughter, Liz. Jens (6/19/1931) is an emeritus professor of physics at the University of Michigan and an accomplished sculptor. Max Zorn's grandson Eric Zorn
Eric Zorn
Eric Zorn, born January 6, 1958, is a columnist and a blogger for the Chicago Tribune.Zorn is a 1980 graduate of the University of Michigan, where he was an arts section editor at the Michigan Daily and a creative writing/English literature major. After he had served a four-month internship at the...
is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
. Max Zorn's great-grandson, Alex Zorn, excelled in mathematics, was a USAMO qualifier in high school, and enrolled in the University of Chicago class of 2012 where he is concentrating in mathematics.
Max Zorn was appointed as an assistant at the University of Halle but he did not have the opportunity to work there for long since, in 1933, he was forced to leave Germany because of the Nazi policies. He was not, however, Jewish. He emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was appointed a Sterling Fellow at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Following his years at Yale, he moved to UCLA where he remained until 1946. He left the University of California to become professor at Indiana University, holding this position from 1946 until he retired in 1971. He was thesis adviser for Israel Nathan Herstein
Israel Nathan Herstein
Israel Nathan Herstein was a mathematician, appointed as professor at the University of Chicago in 1951...
.
Max Zorn died in March of 1993 of congestive heart failure according to his obituary in the New York Times.