About Ernst Specker
Lived 1920 – 2011 (aged 91). Ernst Specker was a Swiss mathematician and university teacher.
Ernst Paul Specker (11 February 1920, Zürich – 10 December 2011, Zürich) was a Swiss mathematician. Much of his most influential work was on Willard Van Orman Quine's New Foundations, a set theory with a universal set, but he is most famous for the Kochen–Specker theorem in quantum mechanics, showing that certain types of hidden-variable theories are impossible. He also proved the ordinal partition relation thereby solving a problem of Paul Erdős.
Specker received his Ph.D. in 1949 from ETH Zurich, where he remained throughout his professional career.
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Ernst Specker?
Swiss mathematician (1920-2011)
When was Ernst Specker born?
Ernst Specker was born on 11 February 1920 in Zurich.
When did Ernst Specker die?
Ernst Specker died on 10 December 2011 in Zurich.
What was Ernst Specker's occupation?
Ernst Specker was a mathematician and university teacher.
What nationality was Ernst Specker?
Ernst Specker was Swiss.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ernst Specker. https://biography.guide/ernst-specker/
MLA: "Ernst Specker." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ernst-specker/.
Chicago: "Ernst Specker." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ernst-specker/.
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