Max August Zorn

Max August Zorn
Zorn in 1930
Born(1906-06-06)June 6, 1906
DiedMarch 9, 1993(1993-03-09) (aged 86)
Alma materUniversity of Hamburg
Known forZorn ring
Zorn's lemma
Zorn's vector-matrix algebras
Artin–Zorn theorem
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics
InstitutionsIndiana University
University of California, Los Angeles
Thesis Theorie Der Alternativen Ringe  (1930)
Doctoral advisorEmil Artin
Doctoral studentsIsrael Nathan Herstein

Max August Zorn (German: [tsɔʁn]; June 6, 1906 – March 9, 1993) was a German mathematician. He was an algebraist, group theorist, and numerical analyst. He is best known for Zorn's lemma, a method used in set theory that is applicable to a wide range of mathematical constructs such as vector spaces, and ordered sets amongst others. Zorn's lemma was first postulated by Kazimierz Kuratowski in 1922, and then independently by Zorn in 1935.