Analogies Between Analogies: The Mathematical Reports of S.M. Ulam and his Los Alamos Collaborators

Stanislaw Ulam, a mathematician who worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory for forty years, wrote many Laboratory Reports that are now accessible to mathematicians, physical scientists, and historians. These papers contain seminal ideas in nonlinear stochastic processes, parallel computation, cellular automata, and mathematical biology, and are of historical interest due to the complexity of problems at the frontiers of science during and after World War II. Ulam's ideas were far ahead of their time and ranged over many branches of science, fulfilling the statement of his friend and mentor Stefan Banach.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 588 pages
Publication date: 25 March 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

Stanislaw Ulam, a mathematician who spent forty years at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, authored numerous Laboratory Reports, often in collaboration with colleagues. While some of these reports remain classified to this day, the majority are now compiled in this volume and readily accessible to mathematicians, physical scientists, and historians. The timeliness of these papers is particularly noteworthy, as they contain groundbreaking ideas in various fields such as nonlinear stochastic processes, parallel computation, cellular automata, and mathematical biology.

The collection holds historical significance as well. During and after World War II, the complexity of scientific problems at the forefront of knowledge far exceeded the technological capabilities of the time. The development of electronic computing machines and the invention of new computing methods were necessary to tackle these challenges. Ulam was able to contribute both general insights and specific conceptual contributions to these problems and others in physics, astronomy, and biology. His fertile ideas were ahead of their time and spanned multiple scientific disciplines. In fact, his mathematical versatility exemplified the statement made by his friend and mentor, the renowned Polish mathematician Stefan Banach, who claimed that the finest mathematicians see analogies between analogies.

These Los Alamos reports, introduced by A. R. Bednarek and Francoise Ulam, provide a unique perspective on one of the twentieth century's intellectual giants and scientific pioneers. They are part of UC Press' Voices Revived program, which commemorates the University of California Press' mission to seek out and nurture the brightest minds and provide them with a platform to express their ideas, reach a wider audience, and have a significant impact. Drawing on a backlist dating back to 1893, Voices Revived aims to resurrect the works of forgotten or overlooked authors and reintroduce them to contemporary readers.

Weight: 870g
Dimension: 184 x 228 x 38 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520302303