Book Description
Jerzy Neyman received the National Medal of Science "for laying the foundations of modern statistics and devising tests and procedures that have become essential parts of the knowledge of every statistician." Until his death in 1981 at the age of eighty-seven, he was vigorously involved in the concerns and controversies of the day, a teaching professor at the University of California, and the directory of the Berkeley Statistical Laboratory. Neyman was a scientist whose personality and activity were integral parts of his contribution to his science. His career is thus particulary well-suited for the nontechnical scientific life-story which Constance Reid has made her own in such well-received biographies of scientists Hilbert and Courant in Goettingen and New York. She was able to talk extensively with Neyman and to have access to his personal and professional letters and papers. Her book will appeal to the professional statistician as well as to the layman who would like to learn something of a subject which permeates almost every aspect of modern life. ... Read more

Book Description
Jerzy Neyman - From Life describes the fascinating life of Jerzy Neyman and his work and interaction with other scientists, administrators and politicians. Jerzy Neyman was one of the 20th Century's greatest and most influential statisticians. Much of modern mathematical statistics is based on his work or inspired by his ideas although his influence ranges beyond the sphere of academic research and scientific papers. ... Read more

Book Description
From the Preface:

This book represents the implementation of a decision adopted by the Council of the National Academy of Sciences relating to the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Nicholas Copernicus. From the outset it was intended that this Copernican volume would describe a number of Copernican-type intellectual revolutions that have taken place in recent centuries. Such revolutions are characterized by the abandonment of widely held concepts and replacement by dramatically new conceptualizations that resulted in deepened understanding of natural processes.

It was the original intention of the Academy's Council that the essays would be addressed to the general educated public, including teaching staffs of colleges and high schools and college students. The combination of the intended broad coverage and the contemplated readership presented considerable difficulties and affected the choice of incidents in the history of modern science which could be discussed. As it has turned out, the material presented is quite rich and, while there is an unavoidable variation in the amount of specialized knowledge expected from the reader, we hope that the summaries preceding particular chapters are sufficient to create a broad perspective and make the whole understandable. To the extent that our goals have been approached, the help of numerous scientists is gratefully acknowledged.

The introductory chapter describes the circumstances and the essence of the initial intellectual revolution due to Copernicus himself. The subsequent six parts present in turn: (1) several revolutions in astronomy-cosmology, all in the twentieth century and one of them still in progress; (2) a number of deep revolutionary changes in the biological sciences, one of them made twenty years ago by an inspired contribution of a graduate student; (3) several revolutionary changes in the physical sciences; (4) revolutions in the thinking of mathematicians; (5) the emergence of a "pluralistic" point of view in scientific research; and (6) revolutions in technology.

The epoch when it was possible for individuals to acquire a reasonably detailed view of practically all of science is now far behind us. It was followed by a prolonged period of compartmentalization of research, with specialists in one domain becoming increasingly ignorant of developments in another. In the present epoch the pendulum appears to be moving in the opposite direction. The many problems faced by modern society depend for their solution on interdisciplinary studies and on participation of individuals with wide horizons. It is hoped that the publication of the present volume will serve not only to commemorate the achievements of Nicholas Copernicus but also to stimulate and accelerate this trend. ... Read more