Bernard de Neumann
Encyclopedia
Frederick Bernard de Neumann (15 December 1943–) is a British
mathematician
, computer scientist
, inventor, and naval historian. In Austria
and Germany
he is known as Bernhard von Neumann.
He was educated at the Royal Hospital School
, and Birmingham University.
He is the author of several papers, reports and books and formerly Professor of Mathematics at the City University, London
, and Chief Mathematician in the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency of the UK Ministry of Defence. Awarded U.S. patent #4,393,515 on July 12, 1983, covering a parallel-processing architecture that utilizes on-chip RF transmitters and receivers for inter-processor communication.
During his career he worked for Marconi Research, GEC Hirst Research Centre
, and consulted for NASA, ESA, NATO, RTZ, MOD (RN, Army and RAF), RARDE, RSRE, ASWE, AUWE, RAE; and as a visiting lecturer at several universities. He then joined the staff of The City University. He is a member of the Court of Essex University. He also served on the Council of the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications.
Some of his mathematical work helped to make it possible to receive imagery from deep space missions, like from the Viking Landers 1 & 2 that transmitted the first colour pictures back from the surface of Mars. This same work also helped improve FM radio receivers and facilitated their miniaturization. He also invented and patented a self-configuring multi-processor computer, that included ideas used for the technology used in contactless smart card
s, RF identification tagging chips, subcutaneous micro-electronic chips (e.g. pet identification) and industrial control and social monitoring, etc. Adaptions of it also has application in certain kinds of Information Warfare. In his published work (books and papers) he has used both the "de" and "von" forms of the name depending on the country in which they first appeared.
Many people mistakenly think that he was at Bletchley Park
during World War II - but he was not born until the end of 1943. However he did know quite a few of the mathematicians/engineers involved: Max Newman
, Jack Good
, Donald Michie
, Tommy Flowers
, "Doc" Coombs, and Hugh Skillen.
Neumann solved some of the "mysteries" often cited in books about the so-called Bermuda Triangle
. He also discovered that during World War I
Karl Dönitz
nearly lost his life when the U-boat (U-39), aboard which he was the First Watch Officer, was rammed and rolled over by SS Ryton on 5 August 1917. Ryton sank quickly as she was carrying iron ore, but Dönitz's boat, badly damaged, limped back to base at Cattaro for repairs.
A portrait of Neumann entitled "Professor Bernard de Neumann - The Mathematician" by John Wonnacott, CBE, won the 2005 Ondaatje Prize
of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
, inventor, and naval historian. In Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
he is known as Bernhard von Neumann.
He was educated at the Royal Hospital School
Royal Hospital School
The Royal Hospital School, , is a British co-educational independent boarding school with naval traditions. It admits pupils from age 11 to 18 through Common Entrance or the school's own exam...
, and Birmingham University.
He is the author of several papers, reports and books and formerly Professor of Mathematics at the City University, London
City University, London
City University London , is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and became a university in 1966, when it adopted its present name....
, and Chief Mathematician in the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency of the UK Ministry of Defence. Awarded U.S. patent #4,393,515 on July 12, 1983, covering a parallel-processing architecture that utilizes on-chip RF transmitters and receivers for inter-processor communication.
During his career he worked for Marconi Research, GEC Hirst Research Centre
Hirst Research Centre
GEC Hirst Research Centre was one of the first specialised industrial research laboratories to be built in Britain, and was part of the General Electric Company plc empire...
, and consulted for NASA, ESA, NATO, RTZ, MOD (RN, Army and RAF), RARDE, RSRE, ASWE, AUWE, RAE; and as a visiting lecturer at several universities. He then joined the staff of The City University. He is a member of the Court of Essex University. He also served on the Council of the Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications.
Some of his mathematical work helped to make it possible to receive imagery from deep space missions, like from the Viking Landers 1 & 2 that transmitted the first colour pictures back from the surface of Mars. This same work also helped improve FM radio receivers and facilitated their miniaturization. He also invented and patented a self-configuring multi-processor computer, that included ideas used for the technology used in contactless smart card
Contactless smart card
A contactless smart card is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits that can process and store data, and communicate with a terminal via radio waves. There are two broad categories of contactless smart cards. Memory cards contain non-volatile memory storage components, and perhaps...
s, RF identification tagging chips, subcutaneous micro-electronic chips (e.g. pet identification) and industrial control and social monitoring, etc. Adaptions of it also has application in certain kinds of Information Warfare. In his published work (books and papers) he has used both the "de" and "von" forms of the name depending on the country in which they first appeared.
Many people mistakenly think that he was at Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is an estate located in the town of Bletchley, in Buckinghamshire, England, which currently houses the National Museum of Computing...
during World War II - but he was not born until the end of 1943. However he did know quite a few of the mathematicians/engineers involved: Max Newman
Max Newman
Maxwell Herman Alexander "Max" Newman, FRS was a British mathematician and codebreaker.-Pre–World War II:Max Newman was born Maxwell Neumann in Chelsea, London, England, on 7 February 1897...
, Jack Good
I. J. Good
Irving John Good was a British mathematician who worked as a cryptologist at Bletchley Park with Alan Turing. After World War II, Good continued to work with Turing on the design of computers and Bayesian statistics at the University of Manchester...
, Donald Michie
Donald Michie
Donald Michie was a British researcher in artificial intelligence. During World War II, Michie worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, contributing to the effort to solve "Tunny," a German teleprinter cipher.-Early life and career:Michie was born in Rangoon, Burma...
, Tommy Flowers
Tommy Flowers
Thomas "Tommy" Harold Flowers, MBE was an English engineer. During World War II, Flowers designed Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic computer, to help solve encrypted German messages.-Early life:...
, "Doc" Coombs, and Hugh Skillen.
Neumann solved some of the "mysteries" often cited in books about the so-called Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
. He also discovered that during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
nearly lost his life when the U-boat (U-39), aboard which he was the First Watch Officer, was rammed and rolled over by SS Ryton on 5 August 1917. Ryton sank quickly as she was carrying iron ore, but Dönitz's boat, badly damaged, limped back to base at Cattaro for repairs.
A portrait of Neumann entitled "Professor Bernard de Neumann - The Mathematician" by John Wonnacott, CBE, won the 2005 Ondaatje Prize
Ondaatje Prize
The Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize is an annual literary award given by the Royal Society of Literature. The £10,000 award is given for a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry which evokes the "spirit of a place", and which is written by someone who is a citizen of or who has been...
of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters
Royal Society of Portrait Painters
The Royal Society of Portrait Painters is a British association of portrait painters which holds an annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London...
.
External links
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/user/04/u2050304.shtml
- Prize for mathematician portrait — BBC News, 26 April 2005.
- Prize for Mathematician’s Portrait — London Mathematical Society Newsletter
- John Wonnacott's Virtual Gallery