Max Newman facts for kids
Maxwell Herman Alexander Newman, known as Max Newman, was a smart British mathematician and codebreaker. He was born on February 7, 1897, and passed away on February 22, 1984. During World War II, his important work helped create the Colossus. This was the world's first working, programmable electronic computer. After the war, he started the Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory at the University of Manchester. This lab built the Manchester Baby in 1948, which was the world's first working stored-program electronic computer.
Quick facts for kids
Max Newman
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| Born |
Maxwell Herman Alexander Neumann
7 February 1897 Chelsea, London, England
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| Died | 22 February 1984 (aged 87) Cambridge, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Elements of the topology of plane sets of points Newman's lemma Newmanry section at Bletchley Park Heath Robinson (codebreaking machine) Colossus computer Newman's problem |
| Spouse(s) |
Lyn Irvine
(m. 1934; died 1973)Margaret Penrose |
| Children | Edward and William |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society (1939) Sylvester Medal (1958) De Morgan Medal (1962) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics |
| Institutions | St John's College, Cambridge University of Manchester Princeton University |
| Doctoral students | Sze-Tsen Hu Gilbert Robinson Hsien Chung Wang |
| Influenced | Alan Turing |
Contents
Early Life and School
Max Newman was born Maxwell Herman Alexander Neumann in Chelsea, London, England. His birthday was February 7, 1897. His family was Jewish. His father, Herman Alexander Neumann, came from Germany. He moved to London when he was 15. Herman worked as a secretary. He married Sarah Ann Pike, an Irish schoolteacher, in 1896.
In 1903, Max's family moved to Dulwich. He went to Goodrich Road school. Then, from 1908, he attended City of London School. At school, he was very good at both classics and mathematics. He also enjoyed playing chess and the piano.
University and War
In 1915, Newman won a scholarship. This allowed him to study mathematics at St John's College, Cambridge. In 1916, he did very well in his first year of the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos.
His studies were stopped by World War I. His father was held as an "enemy alien" because he was German. After being released, his father went back to Germany. In 1916, his father changed their last name to "Newman." Max's mother did the same in 1920.
In 1917, Newman taught at a school in York. He then worked for the Royal Army Pay Corps. He also taught at another school in 1919. He was called to join the army in 1918. But he said he was a conscientious objector. This meant he refused to fight because of his beliefs and his father's background. So, he did not fight in the war.
A Brilliant Mind at Work
Newman went back to Cambridge in October 1919. He finished his studies in 1921. He earned a top degree in mathematics. His final paper looked at using "symbolic machines" in physics. This showed his early interest in computing.
In 1923, Newman became a Fellow at St John's College. He studied combinatorial topology, a type of mathematics. He wrote over twenty papers and became an expert in this field. He also wrote a book called Elements of the topology of plane sets of points.
Inspiring Alan Turing
In 1935, Newman gave lectures on the foundations of mathematics. He also talked about Gödel's theorem. These lectures inspired Alan Turing. Turing then started his famous work on the "decision problem." Turing's solution involved imagining a programmable computing machine.
In 1936, Turing showed Newman his paper. Newman understood how important it was. He helped make sure it was published quickly. Newman also arranged for Turing to visit Princeton University. There, another mathematician, Alonzo Church, was working on the same problem. During this time, Newman and Turing both dreamed of building a stored-program computing machine.
In 1939, Newman was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists.
In 1934, he married Lyn Irvine, a writer. They had two sons, Edward and William.
Secret War Work
When World War II started in 1939, Newman's family faced challenges. His father was Jewish, which was a concern due to Nazi Germany. His wife and sons went to America for safety. Newman stayed in Cambridge.
Cracking Codes at Bletchley Park
By 1942, Newman wanted to help with the war effort. He joined the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. This was a top-secret place where British codebreakers worked. He arrived on August 31, 1942.
Newman was assigned to work on a German teleprinter cipher called "Tunny." He found the work interesting but felt his talents could be used better. He convinced his bosses that a method for breaking the code could be done by machines. In December 1942, he was asked to lead research into using machines for codebreaking.
The Newmanry and Early Computers
Newman's new section was called the "Newmanry." It started in January 1943. The first machine was ready in June 1943. It was run by Newman, Donald Michie, two engineers, and 16 women from the Wrens. The Wrens called the machine the "Heath Robinson." This was after a cartoonist who drew funny, complicated machines.
Building Colossus
The Robinson machines were not very fast or reliable. Tommy Flowers from the Post Office Research Station had experience with electronic parts. He built an electronic machine called the Colossus computer. This machine was brought to the Newmanry. It was a huge success! By the end of the war, ten Colossus machines were being used.
After the War: Building Computers
In September 1945, Newman became the head of the Mathematics Department at the University of Manchester.
The Manchester Computing Lab
Newman quickly set up the famous Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory at the University. In 1946, he wrote to John von Neumann, saying he wanted to build a computing machine. The Royal Society approved his request.
Frederic Calland Williams and Thomas Kilburn, who were experts in electronics, joined the lab. Kilburn and Williams built the Manchester Baby. This was the world's first electronic stored-program digital computer. It was based on ideas from Alan Turing and John von Neumann.
The First Stored-Program Computer
Alan Turing later joined Newman's lab in May 1948. He worked with Kilburn and Williams on the next computer, the Manchester Mark I. Later, the University worked with a company called Ferranti. Together, they made the Ferranti Mark I. This was the first computer made in large numbers and sold to people.
Later Years and Legacy
Newman retired in 1964. He moved to Comberton, near Cambridge. After his wife Lyn passed away in 1973, he married Margaret Penrose.
He kept working on combinatorial topology. In 1962, at age 65, he was invited to present his work at a big math conference. In 1966, he proved an important idea called the Generalized Poincaré conjecture.
Max Newman started to suffer from Alzheimer's disease when he was 85. He died in Cambridge two years later.
Awards and Recognition
- Fellow of the Royal Society, chosen in 1939.
- Royal Society Sylvester Medal, given in 1958.
- President of the London Mathematical Society from 1949 to 1951.
- LMS De Morgan Medal, given in 1962.
- Received an honorary science degree from the University of Hull in 1968.
A building at the University of Manchester was named the Newman Building in his honor. A lecture room in the new Alan Turing Building is also named after him.
See also
In Spanish: Max Newman para niños
