What concepts and things are named after John von Neumann?

John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician, physicist, and computer scientist whose profound influence across multiple disciplines is reflected in a vast number of eponymous concepts. From the von Neumann architecture in computing and cellular automata to numerous mathematical theorems, norms, and algorithms, his name is preserved throughout modern science. These entities span mathematics, quantum mechanics, economics, and computer science, and he also received numerous direct honors including a crater on the Moon.

What we know

• John von Neumann is the eponym for numerous mathematical concepts, including the Birkhoff-von Neumann theorem and the Stone-von Neumann theorem. [2]
• In computing and computer science, his name designates the von Neumann architecture, the von Neumann bottleneck, and cellular automata. [2]
• Eponymous contributions in physics and quantum mechanics include the Dirac-von Neumann axioms and von Neumann entropy. [2]
• Economics and game theory feature things named after him, such as the von Neumann-Morgenstern utility theorem. [2]
• In addition to theoretical concepts, John von Neumann was honored with a crater on the Moon named in his honor. [3]

Where to go next

• whoWho was John von Neumann?
• what followedWhat awards and honors did John von Neumann receive?
• a case in pointHow does von Neumann architecture work in computing?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the role of cellular automata in computer science?
• whenWhat was von Neumann's involvement in the Manhattan Project?
• an unexpected connectionHow did John von Neumann's work on self-replication relate to DNA?Von Neumann's abstract analysis of the structure of self-replication via his universal constructor actually preceded the biological discovery of the structure of DNA.

Sources

• [1]list of things named after John von Neumann (Wikidata Q6643297) · CC0 1.0
• [2]List of things named after John von Neumann · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]John von Neumann · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Lists of mathematics topics · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of awards and honors received by John von Neumann · CC BY-SA 4.0