Download or read book John von Neumann The Scientific Genius Who Pioneered the Modern Computer Game Theory Nuclear Deterrence and Much More written by Norman Macrae and published by Plunkett Lake Press. This book was released on 2019-07-31 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John von Neumann was a Jewish refugee from Hungary — considered a “genius” like fellow Hungarians Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner and Edward Teller — who played key roles developing the A-bomb at Los Alamos during World War II. As a mathematician at Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study (where Einstein was also a professor), von Neumann was a leader in the development of early computers. Later, he developed the new field of game theory in economics and became a top nuclear arms policy adviser to the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. “I always thought [von Neumann’s] brain indicated that he belonged to a new species, an evolution beyond man. Macrae shows us in a lively way how this brain was nurtured and then left its great imprint on the world.” — Hans A. Bethe, Cornell University “The book makes for utterly captivating reading. Von Neumann was, of course, one of this century’s geniuses, and it is surprising that we have had to wait so long... for a fully fleshed and sympathetic biography of the man. But now, happily, we have one. Macrae nicely delineates the cultural, familial, and educational environment from which von Neumann sprang and sketches the mathematical and scientific environment in which he flourished. It’s no small task to render a genius like von Neumann in ordinary language, yet Macrae manages the trick, providing more than a glimpse of what von Neumann accomplished intellectually without expecting the reader to have a Ph.D. in mathematics. Beyond that, he captures von Neumann’s qualities of temperament, mind, and personality, including his effortless wit and humor. And [Macrae] frames and accounts for von Neumann’s politics in ways that even critics of them, among whom I include myself, will find provocative and illuminating.” — Daniel J. Kevles, California Institute of Technology “A lively portrait of the hugely consequential nonmathematician-physicist-et al., whose genius has left an enduring impress on our thought, technology, society, and culture. A double salute to Steve White, who started this grand book designed for us avid, nonmathematical readers, and to Norman Macrae, who brought it to a triumphant conclusion.” — Robert K. Merton, Columbia University “The first full-scale biography of this polymath, who was born Jewish in Hungary in 1903 and died Roman Catholic in the United States at the age of 53. And Mr. Macrae has some great stories to tell... Mr. Macrae’s biography has rescued a lot of good science gossip from probable extinction, and has introduced many of us to the life story of a man we ought to know better.” — Ed Regis, The New York Times “A nice and fascinating picture of a genius who was active in so many domains.” —Zentralblatt MATH “Biographer Macrae takes a ‘viewspaperman’ approach which stresses the context and personalities associated with von Neumann’s remarkable life, rather than attempting to give a detailed scholarly analysis of von Neumann’s papers. The resulting book is a highly entertaining account that is difficult to put down.” — Journal of Mathematical Psychology “A full and intimate biography of ‘the man who consciously and deliberately set mankind moving along the road that led us into the Age of Computers.’” — Freeman Dyson, Princeton, NJ “It is good to have a biography of one of the most important mathematicians of the twentieth century, even if it is a biography that focuses much more on the man than on the mathematics.” — Fernando Q. Gouvêa, Mathematical Association of America “Based on much research, his own and that of others (especially of Stephen White), Macrae has written a valuable biography of this remarkable genius of our century, without the opacity of technical (mathematical) dimensions that are part of the hero’s intellectual contributions to humanity. Interesting, informative, illuminating, and insightful.” — Choice Review “Macrae paints a highly readable, humanizing portrait of a man whose legacy still influences and shapes modern science and knowledge.” — Resonance, Journal of Science Education “In this affectionate, humanizing biography, former Economist editor Macrae limns a prescient pragmatist who actively fought against fascism and who advocated a policy of nuclear deterrence because he foresaw that Stalin’s Soviet Union would rapidly acquire the bomb and develop rocketry... Macrae makes [von Neumann’s] contributions accessible to the lay reader, and also discusses von Neumann’s relationships with two long-suffering wives, his political differences with Einstein and the cancer that killed him.” — Publishers Weekly “Macrae’s life of the great mathematician shows dramatically what proper care and feeding can do for an unusually capacious mind.” — John Wilkes, Los Angeles Times

Download or read book John Von Neumann written by Norman MacRae and published by Random House Value Pub. This book was released on 1993-10-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book John von Neumann Selected Letters written by John Von Neumann and published by American Mathematical Soc.. This book was released on 2005 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John von Neumann was perhaps the most influential mathematician of the twentieth century. Not only did he contribute to almost all branches of mathematics, he created new fields and was a pioneering influence in the development of computer science. During and after World War II, he was a much sought-after technical advisor. He served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee at the Ballistic Research Laboratories, the Navy Bureau of Ordinance, and the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project. He was a consultant to the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and was appointed by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the Atomic Energy Commission. He received the Albert Einstein Commemorative Award, the Enrico Fermi Award, and the Medal of Freedom. This collection of about 150 of von Neumann's letters to colleagues, friends, government officials, and others illustrates both his brilliance and his strong sense of responsibility. It is the first substantial collection of his letters, giving a rare inside glimpse of his thinking on mathematics, physics, computer science, science management, education, consulting, politics, and war. With an introductory chapter describing the many aspects of von Neumann's scientific, political, and social activities, this book makes great reading. Readers of quite diverse backgrounds will be fascinated by this first-hand look at one of the towering figures of twentieth century science. Also of interest and available from the AMS is John von Neumann: The Scientific Genius Who Pioneered the Modern Computer, Game Theory, Nuclear Deterrence, and Much More. Information for our distributors: Copublished with the London Mathematical Society beginning with volume 4. Members of the LMS may order directly from the AMS at the AMS member price. The LMS is registered with the Charity Commissioners.

Download or read book Von Neumann Morgenstern and the Creation of Game Theory written by Robert Leonard and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2010-06-28 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A reconstruction of the creation of game theory in the twentieth century by John von Neumann and Oskar Morgenstern.

Download or read book The Man from the Future written by Ananyo Bhattacharya and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2023-02-21 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An electrifying biography of one of the most extraordinary scientists of the twentieth century and the world he made. The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Nuclear weapons and self-replicating spacecrafts. All bear the fingerprints of one remarkable, yet largely overlooked, man: John von Neumann. Born in Budapest at the turn of the century, von Neumann is one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived. A child prodigy, he mastered calculus by the age of eight, and in high school made lasting contributions to mathematics. In Germany, where he helped lay the foundations of quantum mechanics, and later at Princeton, von Neumann’s colleagues believed he had the fastest brain on the planet—bar none. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and the design of the atom bomb; he helped formulate the bedrock of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory; he created the first ever programmable digital computer; he prophesized the potential of nanotechnology; and, from his deathbed, he expounded on the limits of brains and computers—and how they might be overcome. Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how a combination of genius and unique historical circumstance allowed a single man to sweep through a stunningly diverse array of fields, sparking revolutions wherever he went. The Man from the Future is an insightful and thrilling intellectual biography of the visionary thinker who shaped our century.

Download or read book The Man from the Future The Visionary Ideas of John von Neumann written by Ananyo Bhattacharya and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2022-02-22 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An electrifying biography of one of the most extraordinary scientists of the twentieth century and the world he made. The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Nuclear weapons and self-replicating spacecrafts. All bear the fingerprints of one remarkable, yet largely overlooked, man: John von Neumann. Born in Budapest at the turn of the century, von Neumann is one of the most influential scientists to have ever lived. A child prodigy, he mastered calculus by the age of eight, and in high school made lasting contributions to mathematics. In Germany, where he helped lay the foundations of quantum mechanics, and later at Princeton, von Neumann’s colleagues believed he had the fastest brain on the planet—bar none. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and the design of the atom bomb; he helped formulate the bedrock of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory; he created the first ever programmable digital computer; he prophesized the potential of nanotechnology; and, from his deathbed, he expounded on the limits of brains and computers—and how they might be overcome. Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how a combination of genius and unique historical circumstance allowed a single man to sweep through a stunningly diverse array of fields, sparking revolutions wherever he went. The Man from the Future is an insightful and thrilling intellectual biography of the visionary thinker who shaped our century.

Download or read book Weird Scientists the Creators of Quantum Physics written by Jeffrey Strickland and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2011-09-04 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Weird Scientists is a sequel to Men of Manhattan. As I wrote the latter about the nuclear physicists who brought in the era of nuclear power, quantum mechanics (or quantum physics) was unavoidable. Many of the contributors to the science of splitting the atom were also contributors to quantum mechanics. Atomic physics, particle physics, quantum physics, and even relativity are all interrelated. This book is about the men and women who established the science that shook the foundations of classical physics, removed determinism from measurement, and created alternative worlds of reality. The book introduces fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics, roughly in the order they were discovered, as a launching point for describing the scientist and the work that brought forth the concepts.

Download or read book Urolithiasis written by Michael E. Moran and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-10-30 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Urolithiasis: A Comprehensive History provides a historical sojourn into the varied manifestations of kidney stone disease. Utilizing historical sources and integrating classic material with new concepts, this new volume provides depth and details on stone disease not found in modern overviews on the topic. This volume serves as a very useful tool for physicians and researchers dealing with kidney stone disease. Written by a renowned expert in the field, Urolithiasis: A Comprehensive History is an in depth resource that heightens our medical understanding of this ancient disease and is of great value to urologists, nephrologists, endocrinologists interested in stone disease.

Download or read book The Martians of Science written by István Hargittai and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hargittai tells the story of five remarkable Hungarians: Wigner won a Nobel Prize in theoretical physics; Szilard was the first to see that a chain reaction based on neutrons was possible, initiated the Manhattan Project, but left physics to try to restrict nuclear arms; von Neumann could solve difficult problems in his head and developed the modern computer for more complex problems; von Kármán became the first director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, providing the scientific basis for the U.S. Air Force; and Teller was the father of the hydrogen bomb, whose name is now synonymous with the controversial "Star Wars" initiative of the 1980s.

Download or read book Brilliance in Exile written by István Hargittai and published by Central European University Press. This book was released on 2023-03-10 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By addressing the enigma of the exceptional success of Hungarian emigrant scientists and telling their life stories, Brilliance in Exile combines scholarly analysis with fascinating portrayals of uncommon personalities. István and Balazs Hargittai discuss the conditions that led to five different waves of emigration of scientists from the early twentieth century to the present. Although these exodes were driven by a broad variety of personal motivations, the attraction of an open society with inclusiveness, tolerance, and – needless to say – better circumstances for working and living, was the chief force drawing them abroad. While emigration from East to West is a general phenomenon, this book explains why and how the emigration of Hungarian scientists is distinctive. The high number of Nobel Prizes among this group is only one indicator. Multicultural tolerance, a quickly emerging, considerably Jewish, urban middle class, and a very effective secondary school system were positive legacies of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Multiple generations, shaped by these conditions, suffered from the increasingly exclusionist, intolerant, antisemitic, and economically stagnating environment, and chose to go elsewhere. “I would rather have roots than wings, but if I cannot have roots, I shall use wings," explained Leo Szilard, one of the fathers of the Atom Bomb.

Download or read book A Panorama of Hungarian Mathematics in the Twentieth Century I written by Janos Horvath and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-06-28 with total page 639 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A glorious period of Hungarian mathematics started in 1900 when Lipót Fejér discovered the summability of Fourier series.This was followed by the discoveries of his disciples in Fourier analysis and in the theory of analytic functions. At the same time Frederic (Frigyes) Riesz created functional analysis and Alfred Haar gave the first example of wavelets. Later the topics investigated by Hungarian mathematicians broadened considerably, and included topology, operator theory, differential equations, probability, etc. The present volume, the first of two, presents some of the most remarkable results achieved in the twentieth century by Hungarians in analysis, geometry and stochastics. The book is accessible to anyone with a minimum knowledge of mathematics. It is supplemented with an essay on the history of Hungary in the twentieth century and biographies of those mathematicians who are no longer active. A list of all persons referred to in the chapters concludes the volume.

Download or read book The Information written by James Gleick and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-03-01 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the bestselling author of the acclaimed Chaos and Genius comes a thoughtful and provocative exploration of the big ideas of the modern era: Information, communication, and information theory. Acclaimed science writer James Gleick presents an eye-opening vision of how our relationship to information has transformed the very nature of human consciousness. A fascinating intellectual journey through the history of communication and information, from the language of Africa’s talking drums to the invention of written alphabets; from the electronic transmission of code to the origins of information theory, into the new information age and the current deluge of news, tweets, images, and blogs. Along the way, Gleick profiles key innovators, including Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Samuel Morse, and Claude Shannon, and reveals how our understanding of information is transforming not only how we look at the world, but how we live. A New York Times Notable Book A Los Angeles Times and Cleveland Plain Dealer Best Book of the Year Winner of the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of the History of Quantum Interpretations written by Guido Bacciagaluppi and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022 with total page 1311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Crucial to most research in physics, as well as leading to the development of inventions such as the transistor and the laser, quantum mechanics approaches its centenary with an impressive record. However, the field has also long been the subject of ongoing debates about the foundations and interpretation of the theory, referred to as the quantum controversy. This Oxford Handbook offers a historical overview of the contrasts which have been at the heart of quantum physics for the last 100 years. Drawing on the wide-ranging expertise of several contributors working across physics, history, and philosophy, the handbook outlines the main theories and interpretations of quantum physics. It goes on to tackle the key controversies surrounding the field, touching on issues such as determinism, realism, locality, classicality, information, measurements, mathematical foundations, and the links between quantum theory and gravity. This engaging introduction is an essential guide for all those interested in the history of scientific controversies and history of quantum physics. It also provides a fascinating examination of the potential of quantum physics to influence new discoveries and advances in fields such quantum information and computing.

Download or read book Unfolding Consciousness written by Edi Bilimoria and published by Shepard-Walwyn (IPG). This book was released on 2024-03-11 with total page 1433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Exploring the Living Universe and Intelligent Powers in Nature and Humans, author Edi Bilimoria heralds the new science of consciousness and offers the readers a roadmap and necessary tools to achieve future growth. Presented in three volumes, plus volume IV contains references, resources & further reading, they reveal the unity of the Eastern and Western branches of our perineal wisdom. Bilimoria shows how science seeks truth using a synthesis of both traditions. Evidence from a wide range of sources— scientific, medical, philosophical, religious, and cultural— is put forward to argue the case that humans are spiritual beings, primarily, and not merely complicated biological machines. Bilimoria teaches that consciousness is not the product of matter but the primary &‘ element' from which all else emanates. This process and its underlying mechanisms are described in detail with much clarity. This work has over 2000 references and is supported by copious tables and diagrams, plus individual chapter summaries and sidenotes to assist readers in navigating the multidimensional terrain traversed.Key areas - The scientific and esoteric worldviews compared and contrasted - The ultimate promise of science - The &‘ soft' and &‘ hard' problems of consciousness: How external input to the physical senses results in an internal, subjective experience - Quantum physics: its contribution to a new scientific paradigm - The Mystery Teachings of All Ages: their worldwide unity and central message - &‘ Wet computers' and computers: Is the brain no different, in principle, from a computer? - Death and after: the transition and continuity of consciousness in other realms - Paranormal phenomena and apparitions - Subtle bodies - Evolution and destiny - Powers latent in human beings - Divinity and the united message of all world religions - The question of immortality - The primacy of consciousness and the manner of its unfoldment from the unmanifest realms to the physical world Edi Bilimoria' s guest appearance on the Shepheard-Walwyn podcast series can be found on this link. https://shepheardwalwyn.com/edi-bilimoria-unfolding-consciousness-why-sapolsky-is-wrong-and-how-to-get-in-tune-with-life/

Download or read book Bedeviled written by Jimena Canales and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2022-08-09 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How scientists through the ages have conducted thought experiments using imaginary entities—demons—to test the laws of nature and push the frontiers of what is possible Science may be known for banishing the demons of superstition from the modern world. Yet just as the demon-haunted world was being exorcized by the enlightening power of reason, a new kind of demon mischievously materialized in the scientific imagination itself. Scientists began to employ hypothetical beings to perform certain roles in thought experiments—experiments that can only be done in the imagination—and these impish assistants helped scientists achieve major breakthroughs that pushed forward the frontiers of science and technology. Spanning four centuries of discovery—from René Descartes, whose demon could hijack sensorial reality, to James Clerk Maxwell, whose molecular-sized demon deftly broke the second law of thermodynamics, to Darwin, Einstein, Feynman, and beyond—Jimena Canales tells a shadow history of science and the demons that bedevil it. She reveals how the greatest scientific thinkers used demons to explore problems, test the limits of what is possible, and better understand nature. Their imaginary familiars helped unlock the secrets of entropy, heredity, relativity, quantum mechanics, and other scientific wonders—and continue to inspire breakthroughs in the realms of computer science, artificial intelligence, and economics today. The world may no longer be haunted as it once was, but the demons of the scientific imagination are alive and well, continuing to play a vital role in scientists' efforts to explore the unknown and make the impossible real.

Download or read book The Launching of Modern American Science 1846 1876 written by Robert V. Bruce and published by Plunkett Lake Press. This book was released on 2022-05-01 with total page 493 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize in History “For readers born since the 1930’s, who have grown up assuming the United States leads the world in science, The Launching of Modern American Science 1846-1876 will come as something of a shock. It shows that little over a century ago the American scientific community was small, mediocre and unpromising... Mr. Bruce has performed an invaluable service in retrieving from numerous archives the letters and diaries of mid-19th-century American scientists, in which both the well-known ones and the obscure describe their assimilation of the scientific ethos — their discovery of the fascination of lab work, their contempt for charlatanism, their dreams for the future of American science... he has done extensive archival research as well as detailed analyses of scientists and technologists listed in the Dictionary of American Biography... he has provided a wealth of information on the people and institutions of mid-19th-century American science.” — The New York Times “[A] superb study of the dawn of science and technology in the United States... [Bruce’s] premier focus in this and earlier books is mid- to late- 19th-century America, and one feels in the presence of a master who creates a reality of time and place that is breathtaking... Bruce meticulously documents the text with names, numbers, dates and places, with vignettes and personality sketches, noting that it was the American style of science to develop technique, to observe, describe and catalogue, rather than theorize... A scholarly gem.” — Kirkus “If I had to recommend only one book on the critical period of development of nineteenth-century science in America, it would be this one. Bruce’s book, a social history of science and the scientific community, is about launching the American ship of science on its course to professionalization, modernity, and international competitiveness. His goal is to tell how American scientists and engineers established new national patterns and organizations in science and technology, still prevalent today... For a most critical period in the history of science in America, Bruce has produced a thorough and well written historical demography of scientists, their institutions (societies, journals, jobs, colleges, schools, laboratories, museums, lectures, agencies, expeditions, surveys), and public relations.” — Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences “Drawing upon an enormous number of primary sources and scores of secondary works, Bruce has produced a truly important book. His incisive analyses, his exemplary style of writing, and his graceful touches of humor make it a fascinating one... [a] splendid book [which] fills a gap in our knowledge of the history of science in the United States and deserves the attention of everyone who desires to know when and how modern science fledged in America.” — Science “[A] book not just to be looked through, but looked at... Bruce displays a remarkable grasp of its sources — primary and secondary, in manuscript and print, statistical studies of his own and others — and it will be the well-informed historian indeed who fails to make discoveries here... Bruce writes a proprietary prose that... is both eloquent and playful. A magisterial study of the development of science under the peculiar constraints of democratic culture, The Launching belongs with the half dozen or so classics that have appeared since the history of American science came out of drydock four decades ago.” — Isis “[A]n exceptionally fine and eminently readable piece of historical scholarship... The book is a major contribution the scientific community in nineteenth-century America.” — Bulletin of the History of Medicine “This will be the definitive account for a long time indeed.” — American Scientist “[I]t is difficult to say too much good about The Launching of Modern American Science, which [is] a major interpretation of the period... a book so altogether excellent... [it] gives a view of that period that is both convincing and illuminating. As a very welcome extra, it is so well written that it is a joy to read.” — History of Education Quarterly “[A]n ample, thoughtful, scholarly, and well-written survey.” — The New England Quarterly “[A] rich and well-documented account. This is a readable book that should find a broad audience.” — The British Journal for the History of Science

Download or read book The Brothers Vonnegut written by Ginger Strand and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2015-11-17 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Worlds collide in this true story of weather control in the Cold War era and the making of Kurt Vonnegut In the mid-1950s, Kurt Vonnegut takes a job in the PR department at General Electric in Schenectady, where his older brother, Bernard, is a leading scientist in its research lab--or "House of Magic." Kurt has ambitions as a novelist, and Bernard is working on a series of cutting-edge weather-control experiments meant to make deserts bloom and farmers flourish. While Kurt writes zippy press releases, Bernard builds silver-iodide generators and attacks clouds with dry ice. His experiments attract the attention of the government; weather proved a decisive factor in World War II, and if the military can control the clouds, fog, and snow, they can fly more bombing missions. Maybe weather will even be the "New Super Weapon." But when the army takes charge of his cloud-seeding project (dubbed Project Cirrus), Bernard begins to have misgivings about the harmful uses of his inventions, not to mention the evidence that they are causing alarming changes in the atmosphere. In a fascinating cultural history, Ginger Strand chronicles the intersection of these brothers' lives at a time when the possibilities of science seemed infinite. As the Cold War looms, Bernard's struggle for integrity plays out in Kurt's evolving writing style. The Brothers Vonnegut reveals how science's ability to influence the natural world also influenced one of our most inventive novelists.