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1 - Deducing Weather

The Dawn of Computing

from Part I - The Past

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 November 2021

R. Saravanan
Affiliation:
Texas A & M University
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Summary

Modern weather and climate prediction originated at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton, New Jersey. Mathematician John von Neumann, a member of the IAS faculty, interacted with computing pioneer Alan Turing in the late 1930s and became involved in the construction of the first general-purpose digital computer, ENIAC, in the early 1940s. One of his goals was to use the computer to forecast weather using the equations of physics. He formed the Princeton Meteorology Group by hiring scientists with expertise in weather. In 1950, this group made the world’s first digital weather forecast. Two basic concepts from the philosophy of science – inductivism and deductivism – are introduced in the chapter to provide the context for the scientific developments being discussed. Von Neumann’s (thwarted) ambition of going beyond weather prediction to weather control is also discussed.

Type
Chapter
Information
The Climate Demon
Past, Present, and Future of Climate Prediction
, pp. 11 - 26
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Deducing Weather
  • R. Saravanan, Texas A & M University
  • Book: The Climate Demon
  • Online publication: 02 November 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009039604.004
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  • Deducing Weather
  • R. Saravanan, Texas A & M University
  • Book: The Climate Demon
  • Online publication: 02 November 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009039604.004
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Deducing Weather
  • R. Saravanan, Texas A & M University
  • Book: The Climate Demon
  • Online publication: 02 November 2021
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009039604.004
Available formats
×