John von Neumann facts for kids

John von Neumann
John von Neumann in the 1940s
Born	(1903-12-28)December 28, 1903 Budapest, Austrian-Hungarian Monarchy
Died	February 8, 1957(1957-02-08) (aged 53) Washington, D.C., United States
Nationality	Hungarian, American
Scientific career
Fields	Mathematics

John von Neumann (December 28. 1903 – February 8. 1957) was a Hungarian-American mathematician and physicist who made contributions to many fields including:

• set theory
• functional analysis
• quantum mechanics
• ergodic theory
• continuous geometry
• economics
• game theory
• computer science
• numerical analysis
• systems theory
• statistics

He is generally regarded as a prodigy, polymath and one of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century.

He was a member of a group called the 'Martians'. They were Hungarian immigrants to the US of extraordinary intellect. Others people in this group were Edward Teller, Paul Erdős, Leó Szilárd and Eugene Wigner.

Noteworthy work

1. His textbook on quantum mechanics is one of the first on this topic.
2. His game theory is considered one of the most important tools in competitive strategic management and is also of high importance in biosciences.
3. He is the designer of the Von-Neumann architecture, which is basic to nearly all computers today.
4. He was one of the first proponents of artificial intelligence. He proposed the idea of self replicating machines. This is why a machine that can replicate itself is now commonly referred to as a 'Von Neumann machine'.
5. With Stanislav Ulam, he did some of the most important calculations in the Manhattan project.
6. He worked at the Institute of Advanced Studies the same time as Albert Einstein, Kurt Gödel and Robert Oppenheimer
7. Best selling song "Love me again".

Images for kids

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  Von Neumann's wartime Los Alamos ID badge photo

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  Implosion mechanism

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  Operation Redwing nuclear test in July 1956

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  Von Neumann (left) and Robert Oppenheimer (right) in front of EDVAC

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  Von Neumann's gravestone