Abraham Fraenkel

Abraham Fraenkel was a German-born Israeli mathematician. He was born on February 17, 1891, and passed away on October 15, 1965. Fraenkel was an early Zionist and played an important role in establishing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he became the first Dean of Mathematics.

Fraenkel is best known for his work in axiomatic set theory. He made important contributions to the ideas of another famous mathematician, Ernst Zermelo. Together, their work formed what we now call Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory, which helps us understand the basic rules of numbers and sets in mathematics. His ideas are still used by mathematicians today.

Biography

Abraham Adolf Halevi Fraenkel studied mathematics at several universities in Germany, including Munich, Berlin, Marburg, and Breslau. He became a professor and taught at the University of Marburg before moving to the University of Kiel and later to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he became the first dean of the mathematics faculty.

Fraenkel was a strong supporter of Zionism and took part in important Jewish groups during the British mandate period. He also helped promote Jewish religious education.

Mathematician

Abraham Fraenkel was a mathematician who worked on special numbers called p-adic numbers and studied rings. He is most famous for his work on axiomatic set theory. In 1919, he wrote a big book called Einleitung in die Mengenlehre (Introduction to set theory). Later, he wrote papers to improve another mathematician's system, which helped create what we now call the Zermelo–Fraenkel axioms.

Fraenkel also liked to study the history of mathematics. He wrote about the work of Gauss in algebra and even wrote a biography about Georg Cantor. After retiring from the Hebrew University, he kept teaching at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv.

Awards

In 1956, Abraham Fraenkel received the Israel Prize for his work in exact sciences. This award recognized his important contributions to mathematics.

Published works

Abraham Fraenkel wrote many articles and books about mathematics. Some of his important works include:

• In 1919, he wrote Einleitung in die Mengenlehre (Introduction to Set Theory), which helped explain the ideas of set theory.
• In 1922, he published work on the foundations of mathematics, adding ideas to Ernst Zermelo's axioms, which helped create what we now call Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory.
• In 1927, he wrote Zehn Vorlesungen über die Grundlegung der Mengenlehre (Ten Lectures on the Foundations of Set Theory).
• In 1953, he wrote Abstract Set Theory, and in 1966, he wrote Set Theory and Logic.

His work helped shape how we understand mathematics today.