Browsing by Subject "Kent, R. H., (Robert H.)"

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    Oral history interview with Charles L. Critchfield
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1987-05-29) Critchfield, Charles L. (Charles Louis), 1910-
    The interview mainly concerns John von Neumann, whom Critchfield knew through his thesis advisor, Edward Teller, and through his work at Aberdeen and Los Alamos. It describes von Neumann's work on shaped charges; his work at the Ballistics Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, Maryland and his interactions there with Robert Kent; and his consulting work at Los Alamos, especially on the implosion device.
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    Oral history interview with Martin Schwarzschild
    (Charles Babbage Institute, 1986-11-18) Schwarzschild, Martin
    Schwarzschild describes his early training in automatic computing when he assumed the position of director of the Watson Scientific Computation Laboratory at Columbia University upon the resignation of Wallace Eckert. Schwarzschild describes the computational research he did there on stellar models using advanced IBM tabulating equipment. He next turns to his experience during world war II at Aberdeen Proving Grounds as an enlisted member of the army working on bomb blasts, and mentions work of R. H. Kent, L. Dederick, IBM personnel, John von Neumann, and other scientific consultants on the design of new automatic calculating equipment for the laboratories. Schwarzschild answers questions about the relationship between Kent and von Neumann. His final topic is the work during the 1950s he undertook on stellar interiors using the Institute for Advanced Study computer. He describes his experiences trying to use the computer for large scientific purposes, and recalls the reception of his computational research by the professional astronomy journals.