Adventures of a Mathematician By Stanislaw Ulam

Divakaran, D (2023) Adventures of a Mathematician By Stanislaw Ulam. At Right Angles. pp. 86-89. ISSN 2582-1873

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Abstract

Stanislaw Ulam is probably best known among pure mathematicians for one of his early works with Karol Borsuk: the Borsuk-Ulam theorem. The special case of this theorem in dimension 2 is usually dubbed as “there are always two antipodal points on earth’s surface that have the exact same temperatures and exact same pressures.” Hidden behind is a reasonable assumption that temperature and pressure vary continuously on the surface of the earth. Among well-read non-mathematicians, he is probably well-known for his central role in the Manhattan Project. Few people would know that he invented the Monte-Carlo method, that he came up with the concept of cellular automata, and that he even made important contributions to the moon landing project and mathematical biology.

Item Type:	Articles in APF Magazines
Authors:	Divakaran, D
Document Language:	Language English
Uncontrolled Keywords:	War, Stanislaw Ulam, Manhattan Project, fusion bomb, Feynman, Von Neumann, Fermi
Subjects:	Natural Sciences > Mathematics
Divisions:	Azim Premji University > University Publications > At Right Angles
Full Text Status:	Public
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/5270
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