Paul Joseph Cohen (April 2, 1934 - March 23, 2007) was an American mathematician from Long Branch, New Jersey. He is best known for developing a technique called forcing, which he used to prove that both the continuum hypothesis and the axiom of choice are independent from Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory, meaning neither can be proven nor disproven using its standard axioms. This work earned him the Fields Medal in 1966 and the National Medal of Science in 1967, establishing him as one of the most significant mathematical logicians of the twentieth century.
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In the Other Atlases
- Also in Science Atlas: Paul Cohen, the same subject.
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1. Paul Cohen (Wikipedia)
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Paul Joseph Cohen was an American mathematician, best known for his proofs that the continuum hypothesis and the axiom of choice are independent from Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory, for which he was awarded a Fields Medal.
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