John von Neumann and Robert Oppenheimer

John von Neumann and Robert Oppenheimer

Adam Dolezal

World History Honors

12/14/08

John von Neumann OverviewJohn von Neumann Overview

• Born on December 28, 1903 in Budapest, Hungary

• Died on February 8, 1957 in Washington, D.C.

Neumann ChildhoodNeumann Childhood

• He was a prodigy from birth

• When young he liked math and numbers

• Parents encouraged him

• He was sent to one of the best schools around

Neumann EducationNeumann Education

• Was sent to the Lutheran Gymnasium

• At 17 his first paper was published, “dealing with zeros of certain minimal polynomials”

• Got Ph.D in mathematics and minors in chemistry and experimental physics

• Father wanted him to be a chemical engineer

• So he got his diploma for it

Neumann Work Neumann Work

• Helped in the development of American nuclear weapons in 1943

• Main contribution was his help with the implosion bomb

• He helped find out what will happen without actually blowing an atomic bomb up

Neumann HonorsNeumann Honors

• John von Neumann speech is given annually

• John von Neumann Computing Center is named after him

• USPS made a stamp of him

• Medal named after him, IEEE John von Neumann Medal

• Was known to read while drive

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How old was John von Neumann when

his first paper was published?

When was John von Neumann born?

What did John von Neumann degree in?

What role did Jon von Neumann play in the Manhattan

Project?

When did Jon von

Neumann die?

What did John von Neumann

do while driving?

Robert Oppenheimer OverviewRobert Oppenheimer Overview

• Born• April 22, 1904

• New York City, NY

• Died• February 18, 1967

• Princeton, NJ

Oppenheimer ChildhoodOppenheimer Childhood

• Lived in an apartment building• On Riverside Drive facing the

Hudson River

• Was surrounded by Van Gogh's and European furniture• It showed more of a better

taste than money

Oppenheimer Education Oppenheimer Education

• Studied at the Ethical Culture Society School

• He studied the typical subjects, but showed a special interest in science and psychotherapy

• Entered Harvard Collage late due to Colitis

• Majored in chemistry• Graduated in only three

years

Oppenheimer Education Cont.Oppenheimer Education Cont.

• Admitted to graduate in physics while an undergraduate• Based on independent study,

never took a class of physics

• In thermodynamics, pulled towards experimental physics

• Went to Europe to study modern physics • University of Gottingen by

Max Born• PhD when he was 22

Oppenheimer WorkOppenheimer Work

• He wrote many papers on physics, quantum theory, and ect.

• Most known for the Manhattan Project• Creation of the atomic bombs

during WWII

• Worked on the creation before the government took over

• Leslie R. Groves was the project director• Made Oppenheimer the

projects scientific director

Oppenheimer Work Cont.Oppenheimer Work Cont.

• Worked at Los Alamos• Worked very hard and on July

16, 1945 his work was rewarded with the first explosion of an atomic bomb• Named Trinity by Oppenheimer

• Oppenheimer made his famous speech• About the inhumane killing of

innocent people with the dropping of the atomic bombs

• Within a month the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan

Oppenheimer Last YearsOppenheimer Last Years

• Joined Albert Einstein and others • Concerned with new

scientific findings

• Chain smoker• Diagnosed with throat

cancer in 1965

• Had surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy

• Died in February of 1967 of throat cancer

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are needed to see this picture.

When was Robert Oppenheimer born?

Why did

Robert Oppenheimer

die?What role did Robert Oppenheimer play in

the Manhattan Project?

Why did Robert Oppenheimer

change his mind about nuclear

weapons?

What did

Robert Oppenheimer get a

degree in?

When did Robert Oppenheimer when

he die?

SimilaritiesSimilarities

• They both worked for the Manhattan Project

• Smart

• Knew that they were smart and used it for the reasons that they thought were good

DifferencesDifferences

• Oppenheimer thought that the project was inhumane and thought he was destroying the world

• Neumann thought that the project was good and would help end the war quickly

• Oppenheimer was a little bit more conservative

• Neumann was known for staying out in the night partying