John von Neumann and the Origins of Modern Computing

约翰·冯·诺伊曼是20世纪美国最重要的科学人物之一。他对逻辑学、测量理论、李群、算符理论、数学物理和数值分析等数学学科做出了贡献。他将数学应用于量子力学、博弈论、经济学和自动机的基础。他开创了计算机的早期设计、编程、构造和科学使用。他曾在德国和美国的著名数学研究机构担任多产的教员。他在第二次世界大战期间参与了高水平的科学动员，是战后原子能发展的主要倡导者。简而言之，冯·诺伊曼在美国数学科学的所有分支中发挥了核心作用。研究他的工作有望极大地阐明美国在本世纪作为一个科学强国的成长。他对现代计算机发展的贡献是他影响最大的。阿斯普雷博士正在研究的正是冯·诺伊曼工作的后一个方面。具体来说，阿斯普雷博士正在研究冯·诺伊曼在硬件系统逻辑设计、编码和编程以及现代计算设备构建方面的工作。这项工作将补充Aspray博士之前关于冯·诺伊曼对数值分析、科学计算和计算理论的贡献的工作。在这个新项目中，Aspray博士将整合这两个项目的工作，并设定冯·诺伊曼工作的总体背景。这项工作是基于对出版材料、档案材料、新的和现有的口述历史以及与冯·诺伊曼同事的对话和通信的检查。

John von Neumann is one of the major scientific figures of 20th century America. He contributed to the mathematical disciplines of logic, measurement theory, Lie groups, operator theory, mathematical physics, and numerical analysis. He applied mathematics to the foundations of quantum mechanics, game theory, economics, and automata. He pioneered the early design, programming, construction, and scientific use of computers. He served as a productive faculty member at eminent mathematical research institutions in Germany and the United States. He participated at high levels in the mobilization of science during World War II and was a major advocate for the development of atomic energy after the war. In short, von Neumann played a central role in mathematical science in all of its ramifications in the United States. A study of his work promises greatly to elucidate the growth of the United States as a scientific power in this century. Nowhere was his influence greater than in his contributions to the development of the modern computer. It is this latter aspect of von Neumann's work that Dr. Aspray is studying. Specifically, Dr. Aspray is examining von Neumann's work on the logical design of hardware systems, coding and programming, and the construction of modern computing equipment. This work will complement Dr. Aspray's previous work on von Neumann's contributions to numerical analysis, scientific computation, and theory of computing. Under this new project, Dr. Aspray will integrate the work of the two projects and set the general context in which von Neumann's work was carried out. This work is based on an examination of published materials, archival materials, new and existing oral histories and conversations and correspondence with von Neumann's associates.