The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title The Man from the Future: The Visionary Life of John von Neumann
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Ananyo Bhattacharya
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:368
Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 129
Category/GenreHistory of mathematics
History of science
Computer science
ISBN/Barcode 9780241398869
ClassificationsDewey:510.92
Audience
General
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Professional & Vocational

Publishing Details

Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publication Date 25 August 2022
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

An exhilarating biography of John von Neumann- the lost genius who invented our world The smartphones in our pockets and computers like brains. The vagaries of game theory and evolutionary biology. Nanotechnology and nuclear weapons. All bear the fingerprints of one remarkable 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. His colleagues believed he had the fastest brain on the planet - bar none. He was instrumental in the Manhattan Project and helped formulate the bedrock of Cold War geopolitics and modern economic theory. He created the first ever programmable digital computer. He prophesied the potential of nanotechnology and, from his deathbed, expounded on the limits of brains and computers - and how they might be overcome. Taking us on an astonishing journey, Ananyo Bhattacharya explores how a combination of genius and unique historical circumstance allowed a single man to sweep through so many different fields of science, sparking revolutions wherever he went. Insightful and illuminating, The Man from the Future is a thrilling intellectual biography of the visionary thinker who shaped our century.

Author Biography

Ananyo Bhattacharya is a science writer who has worked at the Economist and Nature. Before journalism, he was a medical researcher at the Burnham Institute in San Diego, California. He holds a degree in physics from the University of Oxford and a PhD in protein crystallography from Imperial College London.