Adventures of a Mathematician

S. M. Ulam (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

384 Seiten

1991
University of California Press (Verlag)
978-0-520-07154-4 (ISBN)

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An autobiography of mathematician Stanislaw Ulam, one of the great scientific minds of the twentieth century, tells a story with prophetic speculations and peppered with anecdotes.

This autobiography of mathematician Stanislaw Ulam, one of the great scientific minds of the twentieth century, tells a story rich with amazingly prophetic speculations and peppered with lively anecdotes. As a member of the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1944 on, Ulam helped to precipitate some of the most dramatic changes of the postwar world. He was among the first to use and advocate computers for scientific research, originated ideas for the nuclear propulsion of space vehicles, and made fundamental contributions to many of today's most challenging mathematical projects. With his wide-ranging interests, Ulam never emphasized the importance of his contributions to the research that resulted in the hydrogen bomb. Now Daniel Hirsch and William Mathews reveal the true story of Ulam's pivotal role in the making of the 'Super,' in their historical introduction to this behind-the-scenes look at the minds and ideas that ushered in the nuclear age. It includes an epilogue by Francoise Ulam and Jan Mycielski that sheds new light on Ulam's character and mathematical originality.

S. M. Ulam (1909-1984) was born in Poland and was a key member of the now legendary Polish School of Mathematics. In the United States from 1935 on, he received many academic appointments and honors and authored many articles, essays, and mathematical books, including Analogies between Analogies (California, 1990). Daniel Hirsch is President of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, located in Los Angeles. William G. Mathews is Professor of Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Francoise Ulam is a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jan Mycielski is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Colorado.

Preface to the 1991 edition by
William G. Mathews and Daniel Hirsch

Preface to the 1983 edition

Acknowledgments

A Note on S. M. Ulam's Mathematics
by Jan Mycielski

Prologue

PART 1: Becoming a Mathematician in Poland
1 . Childhood
2. Student Years
3. Travels Abroad

PART II: A Working Mathematician in America
4. Princeton Days
5. Harvard Years
6. Transition and Crisis
7. The University of Wisconsin

PART III: Life among the Physicists
8. Los Alamos
9. Southern California
10. Back at Los Alamos
11. The "Super"
12. The Death of Two Pioneers

PART IV: The Past Fifteen Years
13. Government Science
14. Professor Again
15. Random Reflections

Postscript to Adventures
by Fran9oise Ulam
Bibliography
Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	1.7.1992
Co-Autor	Françoise Ulam, Jan Mycielski
Einführung	Daniel Hirsch, William G. Mathews
Verlagsort	Berkerley
Sprache	englisch
Maße	140 x 210 mm
Gewicht	454 g
Themenwelt	Mathematik / Informatik ► Mathematik ► Geschichte der Mathematik
ISBN-10	0-520-07154-9 / 0520071549
ISBN-13	978-0-520-07154-4 / 9780520071544
Zustand	Neuware