Today is Stanislaw Ulam's Birthday!
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Happy Birthday
Stan Ulam!
Born: April 3, 1909
in Lvov, Poland
Died: May 13, 1984
in
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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Ulam was
a very versatile mathematician who wrote numerous articles in the fields
of set theory, group theory, topology, and mathematical physics, as well
as several popular books about mathematics. Shortly after emigrating to the
United States, he became a major contributor in the construction of the first
fusion (hydrogen) bomb. While working on the problem of fusion, Ulam developed
what is now known as the Monte Carlo method, a technique for solving a variety
of mathematical problems by making use of random numbers and the laws of probability. |