Screen LibraryThe man from the future : the visionary life of John von Neumann /
"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 cent...
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| Main Authors: | |
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| Published: |
W.W. Norton & Company,
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| Publisher Address: | New York, NY : |
| Publication Dates: |
2022. ©2021 |
| Literature type: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Edition: | First American edition. |
| Subjects: | |
| Summary: |
"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 readers on a winding journey, this book 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. This is an insightful and thrilling biography of a visionary thinker who shaped our century."-- |
| Carrier Form: | xiv, 353 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: |
9781324003991 1324003995 9781324050506 1324050500 |
| Index Number: | QA29 |
| CLC: | K837.126.11 |
| Call Number: | K837.126.11/V947B |
| Contents: | Introduction : Who was John von Neumann? -- Made in Budapest -- To infinity and beyond -- The quantum evangelist -- Project Y and the super -- The convoluted birth of the modern computer -- A theory of games -- The think tank by the sea -- The rise of the replicators -- Epilogue : The man from which future? |