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Anders Thor

Swedish scientist (1935-2012)

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionAug 29, 2026
Entity authorityQ6208951 ↗
Source-derived summary

Anders Johan Thor (1935–2012) was a Swedish scientist and teacher most notable for his

leadership in international standardization of quantities and units. He is one of the creators of binary prefixes and the IUPAC Green Book.

Thor obtained a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering in 1959 and the licentiate in mechanics and mathematics in 1964, both at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. From 1962-65 Thor was lecturer in mechanics at KTH and became a professor in 1965.

From 1994 to 2001, Thor was an associate member of the IUPAC Commission on Physicochemical Symbols, Nomenclature and Units (Commission I.1). Thor was Secretary of ISO Technical Committee 12: Quantities and Units from 1982 until 2009, when he was appointed the chairman of the committee. In addition to standards, Thor is a two-time Swedish basketball champion in the 1950s.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Anders Thor” as swedish scientist (1935-2012). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Anders, Thor and Swedish.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1935, 2012, 1959, 1964—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1935-12-04. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Anders, Thor and Swedish providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Anders Thor”, the useful work is to connect “swedish scientist (1935-2012)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6208951. VIAF identifies the subject as 21285765. The Library of Congress control number is n89631974. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1935, 2012, 1959 and 1964.

Critical limits

A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Anders Thor”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Anders Thor primary sources, Anders Thor archive and Anders research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Anders Thor”?
  2. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
  3. Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Anders Thor” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.