by George Dyson
see also Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Nazism, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 10.1, 10.2, 11.1
Neumann, Herman Alexander
Neurototal (Alfvén)
Newark, New Jersey, fm1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4
New Jersey, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4
constitution of, 1676
division of, 1683
“New Look, The” (in reliability)
Newman, Lyn, 13.1, 13.2
Newman, Maxwell H. A. (1897–1984), 5.1, 8.1, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4, 13.5, 13.6, 18.1
on delay-line memory
New York Times, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3
New York University
noncomputable functions, 4.1, 13.1
Normandie, 10.1, 10.2
Notestein, Frank W.
Novaya Zemlya
NPL, see National Physical Laboratory
nuclear pulse propulsion
nuclear weapons, prf.1, 1.1, 4.1, 10.1, 15.1, 15.2, 16.1, 17.1, 17.2
British contributions to
and computers, prf.1, prf.2, 1.1, 18.1
control of, 11.1, 18.1
design and testing of, 1.1, 4.1, 5.1, 9.1, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3
effects of, prf.1, 18.1
opposition to, 6.1, 11.1, 11.2, 18.1
and Soviet Union, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3
time scale of
warnings of, in 1940
and weather control
numerical weather prediction, 9.1, 14.1
as analog computation
and carbon dioxide
and climate models
and control, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3
as cover for weapons design
and general circulation models
and the infinite forecast
military applications of, 9.1, 9.2
opposition to, 9.1, 9.2
and origins of ECP
short, medium, and long range
24-hour forecast in 24 hours (1950)
and unpredictability
Office of Naval Research (ONR), 5.1, 6.1, 8.1, 8.2, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 11.1, 12.1, 18.1
Office of Population Research (Princeton University), 10.1, 10.2
Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), 7.1, 10.1, 11.1
Official Secrets Act (UK), 5.1, 13.1, 18.1
Olden, William, 2.1, 3.1
Olden Farm, ack.1, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 6.1, 13.1
“On Computable Numbers” (Turing, 1936), prf.1, 5.1, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.4
“On a Method of Propulsion of Projectiles by Means of External Nuclear Explosions” (Ulam, 1955)
“On Distributed Communications” (Baran, 1964)
“On the Introduction of Transfinite Numbers” (von Neumann, 1923)
“On the Possibility of Extracting Energy from Gravitational Systems by Navigating Space Vehicles” (Ulam, 1958)
opacity (to radiation), 11.1, 11.2, 16.1, 16.2
operating systems, 10.1, 10.2, 12.1
Oppenheimer, J. Robert (1904–1967), 5.1, 12.1
and AEC, 1.1, 11.1
on climate models (1955)
and ECP, ack.1, 7.1, 8.1, 14.1, 18.1, 18.2
and IAS, ack.1, 1.1, 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 8.1, 9.1, 18.1
and Los Alamos, 3.1, 4.1, 10.1, 11.1
and nuclear weapons, 1.1, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, 15.1, 16.1, 11.5, 18.1
security hearings, 1.1, 11.1, 14.1, 18.1, 18.2
Oppenheimer, Katherine (Kitty)
optical fiber, deployment of, 16.1, 17.1
ORACLE (Oak Ridge Automatic Computer and Logical Engine)
Oracle machines (Turing, 1939), 13.1, 13.2
order codes, ack.1, 1.1, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 10.1, 10.2, 12.1, 16.1
ORDVAC (Ordnance Discrete Variable Automatic Computer)
Orient Express, 10.1, 10.2
origins of life, 12.1, 15.1, 15.2
oscilloscope, 1.1, 7.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3
Oslo, University of, 12.1, 12.2
“other party, the” (von Neumann, 1946), 11.1, 17.1, 17.2
PageRank (Google)
Palmer Physical Laboratory (Princeton), 9.1, 13.1
Panofsky, Erwin (1892–1968), 6.1, 8.1
parasitism, 12.1, 12.2
Parthia
patent rights, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1
Pauli, Wolfgang (1900–1958), 4.1, 10.1
Pauling, Linus (1901–1994), 8.1, 11.1
Penn, Admiral Sir William (1621–1670)
Penn, William (1644–1718)
Pennsylvania, University of, 5.1, 7.1, 18.1
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN)
Pergamon Press
PERM (Programmierbare Elektronische Rechenmaschine München)
Petty, William (1623–1687)
Pfeffer, Richard
Philco 2000 (computer)
Phillips, Norman A., 8.1, 9.1, 9.2, 14.1, 18.1
Pittendrigh, Colin S.
Pitts, Walter (1923–1969)
plasma, 11.1, 17.1
Platzman, George (1920–2008)
Poincaré, Henri, 13.1, 13.2
Point Source Solution (von Neumann, 1947)
poker
Pomerene, James (1920–2008), 5.1, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 10.1, 10.2, 18.1, 18.2
positive-interlock data transfer
Post, Emil (1897–1954)
POST-MORTEM (debugging routine)
“Preliminary Discussion of the Logical Design of an Electronic Computing Instrument” (Burks, Goldstine, and von Neumann, 1946), 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 8.1, 13.1, 18.1, 18.2
preventive (“quick”) war, 6.1, 10.1, 18.1
Princeton, New Jersey
battle of (1777)
beginnings of
conservatism of
summer heat of, 2.1, 9.1
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton University, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, 7.1, 7.2, 9.1, 10.1, 11.1, 13.1, 14.1
adopts ECP (1957), 18.1, 18.2
Principia Mathematica (PM)
“Probabilistic Logics and the Synthesis of Reliable Organisms from Unreliable Components” (von Neumann, 1952), 7.1, 15.1, 17.1
Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3
Procter, William Cooper (1862–1934)
Procter Fellowship (Princeton)
Project Matterhorn
Project Orion (ARPA)
Project RAND (U.S. Air Force)
Project Whirlwind, 8.1, 17.1
Project Y, see Los Alamos; Manhattan Project “Proposed Electronic Calculator” (Turing, 1946)
Proving Ground, see Aberdeen Proving Ground (U.S. Army)
Pugwash disarmament movement
pulse-frequency coding, 14.1, 17.1
Pump House Gang, The (Wolfe)
punched cards, 1.1, 1.2, 10.1, 17.1, 18.1, 18.2
Nils Barricelli and
and ENIAC, 5.1, 5.2, 9.1, 10.1, 10.2, 11.1
and IAS computer
at Los Alamos, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 11.1, 11.2
and memory loading time
punched paper tape, 5.1, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3
Quakers, see Society of Friends
quantum mechanics, ack.1, 4.1, 4.2, 6.1, 10.1
Queen Mary, 8.1, 10.1, 10.2
Queney, Paul
Rabi, Isidor (1898–1988)
Radar, 1.1, 5.1, 7.1
Radiation Laboratory (MIT), 5.1, 8.1
Radio Corporation of America, see RCA
Rajchman, Jan (1911–1989), 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 8.1, 8.2
and antiaircraft fire control
and the Computron
and the ENIAC
and origins of ECP
and resistor-matrix memory, 5.1, 5.2
and the Selectron, 5.1, 8.1
on stored-program computing
on universal computation
RAND Corporation, 8.1, 8.2, 10.1, 11.1, 14.1, 14.2, 15.1, 18.1, 18.2
random-access memory (RAM), prf.1, prf.2, 1.1, 5.1, 8.1, 15.1, 17.1
&nb
sp; see also memory; Williams (memory) tubes
random numbers, 1.1, 10.1, 10.2, 12.1, 13.1
randomness
Rátz, László (1863–1930)
RCA (Radio Corporation of America), 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 7.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 9.1, 14.1, 18.1, 18.2, 18.3
and the ENIAC
and numerical weather prediction
see also Selectron; Zworykin, Vladimir Kosma
RDX (plastic explosive)
read-around ratio (Williams tube)
Reed, Harry
Rees, Mina (1902–1997), 8.1, 12.1, 18.1
refrigerator, computer as
Reichelderfer, Francis W. (1895–1983)
Rejewski, Marian
reliability, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 12.1, 14.1, 15.1, 18.1
“Reliable Organizations of Unreliable Elements” (von Neumann, 1951), 7.1, 12.1, 15.1
Remington Rand, 7.1, 12.1, 18.1
Reno, Nevada
resistor-matrix function table(s), 5.1, 5.2, 10.1
Revelle, Roger, 8.1, 8.2
Richardson, Lewis Fry (1881–1953), 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 9.5, 18.1
Richtmyer, Robert (1910–2002), 4.1, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 11.1, 11.2, 18.1
on limits to stored-program computing
on origins of Monte Carlo (code)
on von Neumann, 4.1, 10.1
Riefler, Winfield
RNA (ribonucleic acid)
Robinson, Jimmy Priestly (1924–1952)
Robinson, William S.
Rockafellow, Alice, 6.1, 6.2
Rockefeller, John D., Jr.
Rockefeller Foundation, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 8.1, 8.2, 10.1
Rockefeller Institute, 3.1, 3.2
Rome, University of
Roosevelt, Franklin D.
Rosenberg, Jack, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 18.1
and Julian Bigelow
and Albert Einstein, 1.1, 18.1
on IBM
on John von Neumann, 7.1, 10.1
on Klári von Neumann
Rosenberg ground
Rosenblueth, Arturo (1900–1970)
Rosenbluth, Marshall (1927–2003), 10.1, 10.2, 11.1
Rosing, Boris (1869–1933)
Rossby, Carl-Gustaf (1898–1957), 9.1, 9.2, 9.3
Rota, Gian-Carlo (1932–1999)
Rotblat, Joseph (1908–2005)
Rózycki, Jerzy
Rubinoff, Morris (1928–2004), 7.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 14.1, 18.1
on Bigelow
Russell, Bertrand
Ryan, Meg
SABRE (Semi-Automatic Business-Related Environment)
Sachs, Judy
SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment), 17.1, 18.1
Samuelson, Paul
Santa Fe, New Mexico, 7.1, 10.1, 11.1, 11.2, 18.1
Sarnoff, David (1891–1971)
Scherbius, Arthur
Schlüsselzusatz (cryptographic machine)
Schriever, Bernard
Schwarzschild, Martin (1912–1997), 16.1, 18.1
on von Neumann, 4.1, 4.2
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, 11.1, 14.1, 18.1
SEAC (Standards Eastern Automatic Computer), 11.1, 15.1
search engines, 10.1, 13.1, 13.2, 14.1, 17.1, 17.2
as analog computers
Selberg, Atle (1917–2007), 8.1, 12.1
Selberg, Hedvig (Hedi) Liebermann (1919–1995), 8.1, 8.2, 16.1, 18.1, 18.2
Selective Sequence Electronic Calculator (SSEC)
Selectron, 5.1, 6.1, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 18.1, 18.2
and numerical weather prediction
vs. Williams tube
self-reproducing automata, 11.1, 11.2, 11.3, 15.1, 15.2, 15.3, 15.4
propagation of
sequential analysis
SETI@home
set theory, 4.1, 6.1
Shannon, Claude Elwood (1916–2001), 1.1, 5.1, 7.1, 12.1, 15.1
shift registers, 6.1, 7.1, 8.1, 8.2
shock waves, prf.1, 4.1, 4.2, 12.1, 16.1, 16.2
signal vs. noise, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 9.1
SILLIAC (Sydney ILLIAC)
Simon, Leslie E., 5.1, 5.2
Sims, John
singularity, technological (von Neumann)
6J6 (vacuum tube), 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 14.1
Slutz, Ralph (1917–2005), 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 8.1, 8.2, 11.1, 18.1
Smagorinsky, Joseph (1924–2005), 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, 18.1
Smagorinsky, Margaret, 9.1, 18.1
Small-Scale Experimental Machine, Manchester (SSEM), 8.1, 13.1
Smithsonian Institution
Smyth, Henry D., 7.1, 18.1
Snyder, Richard L., 5.1, 18.1
social justice
social networks, 14.1, 17.1
Society of Friends (Quakers), 2.1, 9.1
Sociological Complexity Theorem (Alfvén)
software; see also stored-program computing; codes and coding
solitaire
Southwell, Sir Robert
Soviet Union, 6.1, 10.1, 11.1
and nuclear weapons, 1.1, 1.2
Special Engineering Detachment (SED, U.S. Army)
species, origin and end of
Sperry Corporation
Sperry Rand, 5.1, 5.2, 7.1
Springdale Golf Club, 2.1, 3.1, 8.1, 13.1
Sputnik
Stahl, Frank, 12.1, 12.2
Stalin, Joseph
Stanford Research Institute
Stapledon, Olaf (1886–1950), 9.1, 12.1
Statistical Research Group, 7.1, 7.2
stellar evolution, ack.1, 11.1, 16.1, 18.1
Stephenson, Neal
Stewart, Walter W., 3.1, 6.1
Stibitz, George R., 5.1, 7.1, 8.1
Stigler, George
Stockton, Richard
Stoney, George Johnstone
Stony Brook (Quaker settlement, 1696), 2.1, 18.1
storage; see memory (storage)
stored-program computing
demonstrated in Manchester (1948)
and the EDVAC
and the ENIAC, 5.1, 10.1
origins of, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 13.1, 13.2, 16.1
Strategic Missiles Evaluation Committee (U.S. Air Force), 1.1, 4.1
Strauss, Lewis L. (1896–1974), 1.1, 3.1, 5.1, 9.1, 11.1, 11.2, 14.1, 14.2, 17.1, 18.1, 18.2
and hydrogen bomb, 11.1, 11.2
and numerical weather prediction
and von Neumann, 4.1, 14.1
Strittmatter, Father Anselm
subroutines, 5.1, 12.1, 13.1, 13.2, 18.1
Super (bomb), see hydrogen bomb