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Stanislaw Ulam

Stanislaw Marcin Ulam (April 13, 1909 to May 13, 1984) was a Polish mathematican. He made important contributions in mathematics, including in the areas of algebraic topology, ergodic theory, number theory and set theory, as well in physics, especially nuclear physics and the study of dynamical systems. He may also have been the first person to propose the idea of a technological singularity; in 1958, the year after John von Neumann's death, Ulam described a conversation that the two of them had once had on this topic.

Ulam contributed to the Manhattan Project, and together with Edward Teller proposed the Teller-Ulam design for thermonuclear weapons (known publically for 30 years as the "Teller-Ulam H-bomb secret"). Although Edward Teller is often popularly know as the father of the H-bomb, according to the German-American physicist and Nobel laureate, Hans Albrecht Bethe, (who also worked on the project), it would be more accurate to say that "Ulam is the father, because he provided the seed, and Teller is the mother, because he remained with the child." (The exact contributions of Ulam of Edward Teller, and how the Teller-Ulam design was arrived at, has been a matter of public and private dispute since the 1950s).

Stanislaw Ulam was the first person to conceive of external nuclear pulse propulsion, which is of course the basic idea behind Project Orion. Apparently he began to think about using atomic bombs as a means of propulsion, the day after the Trinity atomic bomb test in 1945, and had thought of the idea of external nuclear pulse propulsion by 1946. At the end of his life, Ulam declared that this was the invention of which he was most proud.

Here are some books by or about Stanislaw Ulam:

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Adventures of a Mathematician
By S. M. Ulam & Jan Mycielski

University of California Press
Paperback (384 pages)

Adventures of a Mathematician
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The autobiography of mathematician Stanislaw Ulam, one of the great scientific minds of the twentieth century, tells a story rich with amazingly prophetic speculations and peppered with lively anecdotes. As a member of the Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1944 on, Ulam helped to precipitate some of the most dramatic changes of the postwar world. He was among the first to use and advocate computers for scientific research, originated ideas for the nuclear propulsion of space vehicles, and made fundamental contributions to many of today's most challenging mathematical projects.
With his wide-ranging interests, Ulam never emphasized the importance of his contributions to the research that resulted in the hydrogen bomb. Now Daniel Hirsch and William Mathews reveal the true story of Ulam's pivotal role in the making of the "Super," in their historical introduction to this behind-the-scenes look at the minds and ideas that ushered in the nuclear age. An epilogue by Françoise Ulam and Jan Mycielski sheds new light on Ulam's character and mathematical originality.
Stanislaw Ulam: sets, numbers, and universes;: Selected works (Mathematicians of our time)
By Stanislaw M Ulam

MIT Press
Hardcover (709 pages)

Stanislaw Ulam: sets, numbers, and universes;: Selected works (Mathematicians of our time)
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Problems in Modern Mathematics (Dover Phoenix Editions)
By Stanislaw M. Ulam

Dover Publications
Hardcover (176 pages)

Problems in Modern Mathematics (Dover Phoenix Editions)
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Ulam, famous for his solution to the difficulties of initiating fusion in the hydrogen bomb, devised the well-known Monte-Carlo method. Here he presents challenges in the areas of set theory, algebra, metric and topological spaces, and topological groups. Issues in analysis, physical systems, and the use of computers as a heuristic aid are also addressed. 
Matematicas y Logica
By Mark and Stanislaw M. Ulam Kac

Monte Avila Editores
Paperback

Matematicas y Logica
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Fragile Dominion: Complexity And The Commons (Stanislaw M. Ulam Lecture Series)
By Simon Levin

Basic Books
Hardcover (272 pages)

Fragile Dominion: Complexity And The Commons (Stanislaw M. Ulam Lecture Series)
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We all know that our planet is losing its biological diversity at an alarming rate, with frightening implications for our future. But when does an ecosystem hit the breaking point? In this important book, Princeton biologist Simon Levin offers general readers the first look at how the new science of complexity can help to solve our looming ecological crisis. Levin argues that our biosphere is the classic embodiment of what scientists call complex adaptive systems. By exploring how such systems work, we can determine how they might fail: How much loss can an ecosystem bear before it starts to collapse? How resilient are these systems? Do they in fact hover at the edge of chaos? A deeply original work on one of the most pressing issues of our time, Fragile Dominion is a powerful appeal to understand and protect the global “commons.”
Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe): Stanislaw Ulam, Roald Hoffmann, Billy Wilder, Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Karl Radek, Hugo Steinhaus, Melanie Klein
By Source: Wikipedia

Books LLC, Wiki Series
Paperback (224 pages)

Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe): Stanislaw Ulam, Roald Hoffmann, Billy Wilder, Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Karl Radek, Hugo Steinhaus, Melanie Klein
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Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 223. Chapters: Stanislaw Ulam, Roald Hoffmann, Billy Wilder, Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Karl Radek, Hugo Steinhaus, Melanie Klein, Philip Roth, Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Moise Kisling, Isaac Deutscher, Alexander Beliavsky, Wilhelm Reich, Lee Strasberg, Jacob Frank, Moses Schorr, Simon Wiesenthal, Ignace Poretsky, Martin Buber, Leo Birinski, Eric Kandel, Arieh Sharon, Muhammad Asad, Norman Podhoretz, Łucja Frey, Bruno Schulz, Abba Hushi, Richard von Mises, Robert Kronfeld, Salo Flohr, Henry Roth, Walter Krivitsky, Mordechai Rokeach, Henryk Grossman, Jacob Itzhak Niemirower, Józef Koffler, Franciszek Zachara, Helena Rubinstein, Edmond Wilhelm Brillant, Selma Kurz, Arthur Hertzberg, Arthur Frank Burns, Ben Zion Halberstam, Israel Eldad, Lewis Bernstein Namier, Isidor Isaac Rabi, Elimelech of Lizhensk, Aharon Rokeach, Salomon Buber, Meir Balaban, Daniel Yanofsky, Ira Schnapp, Joseph Roth, Israel Zolli, Emanuel Feuermann, Alicia Appleman-Jurman, Samuel Yellin, Julia Brystiger, František Kriegel, Mordechai Gebirtig, Heinrich Schenker, Mikhail Fridman, Mascha Kaléko, Jed Harris, Joseph Samuel Bloch, Salo Landau, Igor Gorin, Chaim Elazar Spira, Moses Horowitz, Adam Daniel Rotfeld, Mieczysław Horszowski, Georges Charpak, Ostap Ortwin, Efraim Racker, Adam Ulam, Michael Dorfman, Hersch Lauterpacht, David Josef Bach, Nachman Krochmal, Siegmund Glücksmann, Salo Wittmayer Baron, Ignaz Friedman, Stanisław Jerzy Lec, Morris Gutstein, Avigdor Aptowitzer, Nahman Avigad, List of Galician Jews, Leo Aryeh Mayer, Max Margules, Salomon Bochner, Joshua Falk, Joseph Perl, Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss, Leo Kofler, Jakub Karol Parnas, Wiktor Brillant, Ephraim Avigdor Speiser, Aryeh Leib HaCohen Heller, Manfred Sakel, Kalman Kahana, Emanuel Ax, Leopold Trepper, Rose Rand, Max Judd, Moshe Teitelbaum, Simhah Pinsker, Ze'ev Ben-Haim, Isaac Erter, Marian Hemar, Arthur Berson...
From Cardinals to Chaos: Reflection on the Life and Legacy of Stanislaw Ulam
Cambridge University Press
Paperback (320 pages)
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This explorative insight into the life and legacy of the famous Polish mathematician reveals his background and focuses on current research inspired by Stanislaw's vision. The text includes two pieces written by Stanislaw and personal conversations on John von Newmann and Paul Erdos.
A collection of mathematical problems (Interscience tracts in pure and applied mathematics)
By Stanislaw M Ulam

Interscience Publishers
Hardcover (150 pages)
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