December 28, 1903: John von Neumann is born
John von Neumann (1903-1957)
Science: Mathematics
Known for: Game Theory, von Neumann architecture
Hungarian-American mathematician, who developed the branch of mathematics known as the game theory, John von Neumann was one of the world’s outstanding mathematicians. He is noted for his fundamental contributions to the theory of quantum mechanics, particularly the concept of “rings of operators” (now known as Neumann algebras), and also for his pioneering work in applied mathematics, mainly in statistics and numerical analysis. He is also known for the design of high-speed electronic computers.
In 1956 the Atomic Energy Commission granted him the Enrico Fermi Award for outstanding contributions to the theory and design of electronic computers.
__________
Article: “John von Neumann”, Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2007 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2007 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Picture: John von Neumann in the 1940s. (Los Alamos: Beginning of an era, 1943-1945, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, 1986). [Unless otherwise indicated, this information has been authored by an employee or employees of the University of California, operator of the Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government has rights to use, reproduce, and distribute this information. The public may copy and use this information without charge, provided that this Notice and any statement of authorship are reproduced on all copies. Neither the Government nor the University makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any liability or responsibility for the use of this information.]
Leave a Reply