Abstract
Ernst Zermelo (1871–1953) is best-known for his great, pioneering work in set theory that transformed the subject. Of focal importance are his introduction of the axiom of choice in 1904 and his axiomatization of set theory in 1908. The axiom of choice led to a methodological enrichment of mathematics, and the axiomatization was the starting point of post-Cantorian set theory. Zermelo also made significant contributions later, particularly in his 1930 introduction of the cumulative hierarchy.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ebbinghaus, HD. (2010). Ernst Zermelo: A glance at his life and work. In: Ebbinghaus, HD., Fraser, C., Kanamori, A. (eds) Ernst Zermelo - Collected Works/Gesammelte Werke. Schriften der Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Klasse der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, vol 21. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-79384-7_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-79384-7_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-79383-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-79384-7
eBook Packages: Mathematics and StatisticsMathematics and Statistics (R0)