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John von Neumann
Times obituary
A NOTABLE SCIENTIFIC MIND
Professor R. E. Peierls writes:
"Johnny" von Neumann, as he was always known among scientists, achieved fame first of all as a pure mathematician. I am not qualified to describe his contributions to pure mathematics, which usually related to the most recent, and most abstruse, branches of the subject at the time, but they certainly placed him among the leaders of modern mathematics. In the 1920s, he was interested in the development of quantum mechanics, then in rapid growth, which caused difficulty to many because of the bold use of new mathematical techniques. Von Neumann contributed greatly to making this new subject "respectable"; he pointed out the precise mathematical significance of the new developments and, at the same time, helped greatly to clarify the physical content of the new ideas. He was, in fact, quicker than many physicists in grasping the changes that were then taking place in physics Later he was a frequent visitor to the Atomic Weapons Project at Los Alamos. Here his particular quality of combining powerful mathematical insight with a very practical interest in the problems became familiar to all those associated with the project. He was never satisfied with showing that a problem could be solved on paper, but he took a personal interest in its quantitative application and in its practical realization. His many contributions, particularly to the hydrodynamics of shock waves and detonation waves, which are important both in the design of atomic weapons and in an understanding of their effects, were vital to the success of the project. For a man to whom complicated mathematics presented no difficulty, he could explain his conclusions to the uninitiated with amazing lucidity. After a talk with him one always came away with a feeling that the problem was really simple and transparent.
About the same time, he became interested in the application of computing techniques to mathematical problems, and this led him to design the computer now in operation at Princeton and to planning out its applications both to practical problems and to abstract problems in nonlinear equations. He was the antithesis of the conventional image of the "long-haired" mathematics don. Always well-groomed, he had as lively views on international politics and practical affairs as on mathematical problems. His book on the Theory of Games, "including the theory of bluffing at poker," which has proved fruitful for many applications going beyond the field of games of chance and skill, is another example of the happy combination of his command of mathematics with an interest in practical matters. For the last few years, he was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission, and it is worth recording that in a field beset with much controversy, he retained the universal respect and confidence of those who did not agree with his views on policy as well as those who did.
A NOTABLE SCIENTIFIC MIND
Professor R. E. Peierls writes:
"Johnny" von Neumann, as he was always known among scientists, achieved fame first of all as a pure mathematician. I am not qualified to describe his contributions to pure mathematics, which usually related to the most recent, and most abstruse, branches of the subject at the time, but they certainly placed him among the leaders of modern mathematics. In the 1920s, he was interested in the development of quantum mechanics, then in rapid growth, which caused difficulty to many because of the bold use of new mathematical techniques. Von Neumann contributed greatly to making this new subject "respectable"; he pointed out the precise mathematical significance of the new developments and, at the same time, helped greatly to clarify the physical content of the new ideas. He was, in fact, quicker than many physicists in grasping the changes that were then taking place in physics Later he was a frequent visitor to the Atomic Weapons Project at Los Alamos. Here his particular quality of combining powerful mathematical insight with a very practical interest in the problems became familiar to all those associated with the project. He was never satisfied with showing that a problem could be solved on paper, but he took a personal interest in its quantitative application and in its practical realization. His many contributions, particularly to the hydrodynamics of shock waves and detonation waves, which are important both in the design of atomic weapons and in an understanding of their effects, were vital to the success of the project. For a man to whom complicated mathematics presented no difficulty, he could explain his conclusions to the uninitiated with amazing lucidity. After a talk with him one always came away with a feeling that the problem was really simple and transparent.
About the same time, he became interested in the application of computing techniques to mathematical problems, and this led him to design the computer now in operation at Princeton and to planning out its applications both to practical problems and to abstract problems in nonlinear equations. He was the antithesis of the conventional image of the "long-haired" mathematics don. Always well-groomed, he had as lively views on international politics and practical affairs as on mathematical problems. His book on the Theory of Games, "including the theory of bluffing at poker," which has proved fruitful for many applications going beyond the field of games of chance and skill, is another example of the happy combination of his command of mathematics with an interest in practical matters. For the last few years, he was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission, and it is worth recording that in a field beset with much controversy, he retained the universal respect and confidence of those who did not agree with his views on policy as well as those who did.
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