Emeagali the Great Scientist

7/30/2019 Emeagali the Great Scientist

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It Was the Audacity of My Thinking

Emeagwali helped give birth to the supercomputer,


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AN OPERA WITH 65000 PROCESSORS 84TTHHIISSIIRREEMMEEMMBBEERR 91THE INVISIBLE SECOND 97TTHHEEAANNSSWWEERR HHAASSCCHHAANNGGEEDD 105TIMELINE OF COMPUTING 113ORATIONS FOR EMEAGWALI 118SCRAPBOOK 176PHOTOS 183POSTERS 226


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Memories of British West Africa 480Times Remembered From Colonial Africa 480Memories of Post Colonial Africa 480Forgive Me, Father, for I Have Sinned! 480One Day We Had to Run! 480For Most of it I Have No Words 480The Day of the Long Night 480The Graves Are Not Yet Full 480Chronicles from a Refugee Camp 480

A Child Soldiers Story 480After the War Was Over 480They Call Me Calculus 480


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On to Oregon 480I Want to Be a Mathematician 480

A Nigger in Oregon 480I Wish to Tell You that Celestine Has Been Killed 480The Soul of an Astronomer 481I The Homeless 481Dont Push the River 481The Fear of Black Intellect 481

Am I the Anti-Christ? 481Did They Heard Me When I Cried "Eureka!" 481They Laughed When I Told Them But Their LaughterTurned to Stunned Silence 481To Be Young, Gifted and African in America 481


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A Black Physicists Apology 481How to Silently Explode an Atomic Bomb 481My Search for the Holy Grail of Immortality 481Globalization Not New; Look at Slave Trade 481

Why Is America Battling for Africa? 481Why Superstitious Africans Believe Weird Things 481How Do We Reverse the Brain Drain? 481One Wife, One Child 481Do I Believe in God? 482

Why Is Oil-Rich Nigeria So Poor? 482Waiting for Oil Cargo 482The Party's Over; The End of Oil 482


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When Bill Clinton called Philip Emeagwali the BillGates of Africa, his admirers protested that Bill Gatesis the Philip Emeagwali of America. Both were

misleading comparisons, said Emeagwali. The reason,he explains, is that

It is like comparing apples and oranges. I am asupercomputer scientist while Bill Gates is a softwareentrepreneur. The scientist creates the knowledgewhile the entrepreneur takes it, monetizes it, and runswith it.

In 1989, Emeagwali created the knowledge thatthousands of electronic brains, called processors,could outperform a supercomputer. His discovery wasagainst the prevailing dogma: the president of theleading supercomputer company told The New YorkTimes [11/29/89]:


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Emeagwalis discovery implied a new generation ofsupercomputers and consequently made theheadlines. Not only was it faster, it was also onehundredth the cost of a supercomputer. It was newknowledge that was monetized immediately by

manufacturers who redesigned their supercomputersto incorporate thousands of processors.

The supercomputer was reinvented. Now obsolete isthe $10 million a piece vector processors, that worked

by performing fast calculations on a long string ofnumbers called


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vectors.


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TheNew African ranked Emeagwali (third frombottom right) as historys greatest scientist of Africandescent (September 2004).

The reinvented supercomputer costs up to 400million dollars a piece. It eats more power than a cityof 5,000 residents and is powered by 65,000electronic brains or interconnected processors. The

supercomputer is 100,000 times faster than a desktopcomputer and occupies the space of four tennis courts.It is presently a six billion dollars a year industry.

A major scientific discovery is often achieved by a

team of 24 co-discoverers supported by a 400-personlaboratory or 400-million-dollar grants. How then didan African immigrant who worked alone, jealous ofhis independence, indifferent to others skepticism ofhis wild theories achieved a breakthrough in


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American scientific research was a white man's gamein the mid-1970s. I was forced to play by their rules,work alone and without pay for 15 years, even thoughI was the best.

Working alone had its disadvantages and advantages.He had nobody to play the devils advocate or becomehis sounding board. He conceived his ideas alone,argued them alone and refined them alone. On thepositive side, there was no committee to stop him

from attempting to do the impossible.

Most importantly, he became a sort of jack-of-all-trades that enabled him to draw from a constellationof ideas, see the interconnectedness of knowledge and


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The modern scientist is overspecialized and knowsmore and more about less and less. I try to connectthe dots across the foci of physics, mathematics andcomputing. These three subjects form an intimatelyinterconnected and continuous entity but we

erroneously categorize them as separate.

It was an assignment that called for an acemathematician, a supercomputer wizard and masterphysicist, all rolled in one. The scientific equivalent of

the grueling, long-term endurance Ironman triathlonrace 2.4-mile swim, 26.2-mile run, 112-mile bikewithout stopping. Others accomplished theirsupercomputing Ironman race as an 8-person relayteam while Emeagwali did it alone. The route to hissolution was original and treacherous. The number ofscientists who could understand the solution couldtake a taxi together to a seminar given by Emeagwali.The self-confidence to tackle and solving the problemalone was what brought him acclaim and respect. He


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and his genius was in mastering and connecting thosedots, not in understanding a few of the dots.

They cast away my discovery, only to re-discover it

ten years later. The stone which the builders rejected,as rough and unsightly, became the headstone of thecorner, he said.

He holds the opinion that no African can get to the topof the scientific field without making immense

sacrifice, working harder and smarter and alone.


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This Earth Simulator supercomputer occupies thespace of three tennis courts. It has 83,000 copperwires and 2,900 kilometers (1800 miles) of cables,

which is long enough to connect the cities of New Yorkand Dallas.

Working alone for 15 years, facing constant rejectionbecause his HyperBall theorized Internet was against

the prevailing dogma, and drawing from knowableknowledge from several subspecialties, Emeagwaliproceeded to tackle a problem so daunting it made aU.S. government list of the twenty most difficultproblems in computing.

He explained:

It took me 15 years to become an overnight success.The difference between a scientist that worked on a

bl f 15 d th t t fi i


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and one with 5 crayons. The artist with 15 crayons willproduce more exciting pictures.

Emeagwali took an unconventional, synergistic

approach of reformulating Newtons Second Law ofMotion as 18 equations and algorithms; then as 24million algebraic equations; and finally programmingand executing those equations on 65,000 processorsat a speed of 3.1 billion calculations per second. It wasa high-risk but high-yield research.

The Second Law of Motion is to physics what the 26alphabets are to the English language. Starting fromthe Second Law is the equivalent of descending fromthe top of the highest mountain.

It is the equivalent of the constitution to physicists.Just as the U.S. Declaration of Independence begins

ith W h ld th t th t b lf id t th


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It [Second Law] is the alphabet of the language ofphysics. The English language loses its richness if thealphabet B is removed. Some mathematical modelslose their accuracy because the Second Law wasviolated, Emeagwali explained.

He, in a manner of speaking, demonstrated that priormathematical models were unconstitutional and hisenforced the Rule of Law, specifically, the rule of thesecond law of motion in all fluids that flows

underneath the Earths surface.

The Second Law of Motion is an absolute that hadalways existed and is true for all times and places. Itwas discovered 350 years ago by Isaac Newton, not

invented. Newton put his Second Law into wordswhile Emeagwali scientized the motion of fluidsunderneath the Earths surface by incorporating theSecond Law. He reformulated the Second Law into


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supercomputer. Formulas similar to Emeagwaliseighteen equations can be used to simulate the birthof the universe and the motion of fluids in distantgalaxies. It is because the motion of fluids underneaththe Earths surface can be mathematicized as well as

the motion of inanimate objects in our universe

of such phenomenal physics-inspired equations thatmathematics was dubbed the Queen of the Sciences.Because mathematical equations can embodya-priori

knowledge of laws of physics some have conjecturedthat we can conceptually predict the motion of allobjects in our universe by solving the appropriate setof partial differential equations. In fact, 90 percent ofsupercomputer cycles were consumed in solvingdifferential equations.

The journey to my discoveries was a 15-yearmarathon, not a 15-day sprint, he said.


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and 3.1 billion calculations were three world records,in 1989, that garnered international headlines. Thatbreakthrough achieved by weaving together 41discoveries in mathematics, physics and computing -won him the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize, which is the

equivalent in the supercomputer industry of the NobelPrize.

Perhaps, only one in a million scientists can boast ofmaking a breakthrough discovery. Are we

approaching the end of knowledge? Theres a story,perhaps apocryphal, about Charles H. Duell, a formerCommissioner of the U.S. Office of Patents in 1899who tendered his resignation to Congress becauseEverything that can be invented has been invented.His predecessor, Henry Ellsworth, wrote to Congressin 1843: The advancement of the arts, from year toyear, taxes our credulity and seems to presage thearrival of that period when human improvement mustend.


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report on the new discoveries. He said: Often I amtempted to write only two words: Nothinghappened.


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Artists rendition Emeagwalis discovery that thecollective power of 65,000 weak processors (chickens)are more powerful than a 400 million dollarsupercomputer (an oxen). This new knowledge wasthe crucial turning point that inspired the reinvention

of supercomputers to utilize thousands of processors. 1989


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Emeagwalis Theorized Internet

1972-2005 emeagwali.com Page 25 of 517

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If history were to repeat itself, the supercomputer oftoday will become the computer of tomorrow. And thesupercomputer of today will become the Internet oftomorrow, or vice versa. The latter prediction is basedon the fact that the Internet comprises millions ofcomputers that are interconnected, like asupercomputer, but occupies the space of the entire

Earths surface.


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Artists rendition of the HyperBall network inventedby Emeagwali.

The supercomputer spawned the Internet by creatingthe need to invent a network that connectssupercomputer scientists to their supercomputers.


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In fact, the supercomputer and the Internet arepowered by similar technologies. The supercomputeris powered by thousands of processors interconnectedas a hypercube, while the Internet is powered bymillions of computers interconnected as a hyperball.The supercomputer is a hypercube because ahypercube topology is easier to program while the

Internet evolved to a hyperball because the Earth isspherical.

The network that is the heart of the Internet is shapedlike an irregular hyperball. Emeagwali invented theregular hyperball network and in 1988 using ahypercube supercomputer powered by 65,536processors to establish the world record of 3.1 billioncalculations per second.


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Books on theHistory of the Internet(including the

above) credited Emeagwali for theorizing a HyperBallsupercomputer network, which we now know as theInternet.

In the 1970s, Emeagwali theorized that 65,000computers around the Earth could forecast the

weather. That theoretical supercomputer, with 65,000nodes, is known today as the Internet. For the

audacity of his theorized Internet, the book Historyof the Internet and CNNcalled him one of the fathersof the Internet.

Polls rank Emeagwali as the modern scientist mostsearched-for on the Internet and the readers andeditors ofNew African voted him historys 35thgreatest African and the greatest scientist of Africandescent.


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Hard Lessons from History


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Emeagwali's 3.1 billion calculations per second wasused to solve one of the twenty most difficultproblems in supercomputing, the simulation andrecovery of oil and gas from underground reservoirs.The latter discovery was accomplished by weavingtogether 41 discoveries in physics, mathematics (ninepartial differential equations) and supercomputing

(nine algorithms, networks, etc). Each discoverybuilds satisfactorily on the last, until at the 41stdiscovery 3.1 billion calculations which was likeclimbing a peak of understanding.

Emeagwalis Networks

Three of the twelve progressively complex hypercubecommunication paths used by Emeagwali to harnessthe power of 65,536 processors. Each red dot

represents the physical position of each of his 4096computational nodes. Emeagwali programmed a 12thorder network with 4096 computational nodes. Theimage above is for the 5th, 6th and 7th order paths,respectively.


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For the preceding 18 equations and algorithms, thepetroleum industry regards Emeagwali as anunorthodox innovator [who] has pushed back the

boundaries of oilfield science (Upstream, January27, 1997). Emeagwali contributed to the body ofknowledge used in reservoir simulators --- tools usedto determine the best strategies for injecting water

into an oilfield to eject oil and gas out of that field.The simulation of huge oilfields was classified in the1980s by the United States Government as one of thetwenty most difficult problems in the supercomputingfield. Emeagwali won the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize for,in part, solving the preceding problem by successfullyencoding Newtons Second Law of Motion --- a set of

factual statements that describe reality --- as nine(partial differential) equations used for seeing insidean oilfield. Because his new equations incorporatedinertial forces, they were more truthful, more accurateand will enable the geologist recover more oil.


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An oil rig

The Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics

(SIAM News, May 1990) wrote that his[Emeagwali's] calculation is of real importance andsolves problems faster..., and the Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (Software, May1990) stated that the amount of money at stake isstaggering.


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Philip Emeagwali developed 18 equations andalgorithms for supercomputers. emeagwali.com


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Emeagwalis HyperBall Theorized Internet

1972-2005 emeagwali.com [email protected] Page 34 of 517


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The Answer is in the Wind




[Excerpt from a speech delivered by Emeagwali at aninformation technology conference in Ottawa, Canada 2005]


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The supercomputer is perceived as a new technology

but the fundamental idea that drives it is as old ashumanity. This fundamental concept is simple - alarge problem is made small and solvable when it isshared amongst thousands of brains, processors orcomputers. Or many hands make light work.

Supercomputers utilize thousands of processors

because a thousand processors are generally athousand times more powerful than a singleprocessor. But a few years ago, this idea was amystery. We did not fully understand how to applythis idea to harness the power of thousands ofprocessors. Because we named it a supercomputer

we first think of computing when the word

supercomputer is mentioned. We focused oncomputing, but that wasnt the problem.


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The problem was about communication between andwithin supercomputers. And my focus was oncommunicating. You can have a hundred of thegreatest minds in the world in one room and workingon the same problem, but if they dont communicate,

it is no different than having any one of them workingthe problem alone.


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I invented the HyperBall network because prior ones

were planar networks covering only parts of theUnited States. The Internet has converged to myHyperBall "world wide" network covering the entireEarth.

In the 1990s, the vector supercomputer wasreinvented as a hypercube supercomputer. In a few

decades, the supercomputer will "disappear" into theInternet and, in essence, converge to a hyperball-shaped computing and communicating device. Then

we will say that the supercomputer is the network, orthat the HyperBall network is the supercomputer, orthat the HyperBall network is the Internet.

My HyperBall network was originally invented forcommunication between computers and withincomputers. Communication between computers iscalled the Internet and that within a computer iscalled supercomputing.

Because we like to put a human face on the inventionInternet, we ask: Who is the father of the Internet?So: Who invented the Internet?


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My answer, perhaps not so romantic as some wouldwish is that no one individual invented the Internet.In reality, the Internet has many fathers, as well asmothers, uncles, and aunts.

And the Internet was not born at one place or time. Itgrew organically and incrementally.

The invention of the Internet followed different trailsthat are non-intersecting, although they converge intowhat appears to us to be a single technology, theInternet.

We use this collective noun to refer to all the bits andpieces that make information move the way it does

these days.


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The above thermometer can only measure pasttemperatures. My mathematical equations cancompute or measure tomorrows temperature.

I program a supercomputer to use my mathematicalalgorithms to transform todays data temperature,

wind speed, humidity, etc. --- into tomorrows

weather. In a sense, it enables the meteorologist tooperate a thermometer that measures tomorrowstemperature.


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The above weather vane measures past wind strengthswhile my partial differential equations provides theforecast seen on television.


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The above barograph keeps a daily record of theatmospheric pressure while my equations forecaststomorrows pressure.


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I visualized each of my 64,000 beams of search light

as having the shape of either a hexagonally orpentagonally prism.

I was inspired by the idea of harnessing 64,000human computers. I commenced this research projectin May 1975 at Oregon State University on how toharness 64,000 digital computers. That research

project led to my discovery of the HyperBall networkand my reformulation of the HyperBall as aHypercube. I won the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize forusing a 64 binary thousand processors interconnectedas a Hypercube, which was inspired by the 64thousand human processors conceived in the 1920s.


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I tessellated the entire Earth's atmosphere with64,000 prisms of light.

Finally, I tessellated the outer boundary to create myHyperBall.


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New knowledge builds upon old knowledge and thenames of most contributors were lost in the mist ofantiquity.

For instance, I developed nine algorithms which Iimplemented as 24 million algebraic equations. My

work therefore builds upon the knowledge of theninth century Persian mathematician Muhammed idnMusa Al-Khwarizmi who published an influential

book Al-jabr wa'l muqabalah. The words Al-Khwarizmi and Al-jabr wa'l were corrupted toalgorithm and algebra, respectively.

I could not have solved 24 million algebraic equationswithout building upon the knowledge developed 1680years before Christ was born by an Africanmathematician named Ahmes who wrote the oldestmathematics textbook with solutions of equation.

There were many discoveries and inventions that I

built upon to make my mine.


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Equally important is that I did not solve theseproblems during a flash of genius nor did I make mydiscoveries through serendipity or the proverbial luckof working on the right topic at the right time. Theyoccurred over a fifteen year period with theinspiration coming from interaction betweenmathematics, physics and supercomputer science.

Because I devoted 15 years to acquiring a deepunderstanding of seven subspecialties which is the

baseline knowledge for solving these problems. Iknew a lot that is knowable in those fields, I developeda gut instinct on how to solve problems and that I was

working on an important problem, I was able to see

the importance of inertial forces and how the newequations will lead to faster calculations more clearly.

The journey to my discovery was a marathon, and Iwould have failed if I had sprint as if it was a hundred-yard dash. The process of conducting scientificresearch is a science on its own, and a sense you need

to be an alchemist of some sort to become a goodchemist.


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Contrary to what many thought, I did not relyexclusively on brute mathematical force to derive my18 equations and algorithms.

It was my knowledge of physics that helped mediscover that inertial forces were missing in thecentury-old equations used by mathematicians andpetroleum scientists.

My nine mathematical discoveries called - partialdifferential equations - are

symbolic codification of Newtons Second Law ofMotion. With my knowledge of the laws of physics, I

re-introduced the inertial forces and discovered mynine equations for mathematicians and ninealgorithms for computer scientists.

Th A i i h Wi d


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Emeagwali continued his research in his HyperBallInternational network for weather forecasting in this

The Ans er is in the Wind


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building (8060 13th Street, Silver Spring, Maryland)

which was the office of the United States NationalWeather Service from 1982-86.

A rainstorm is governed by the laws of motiondescribed in introductory physics textbooks. TheSecond Law of Motion is codified as partialdifferential equations to be solved on asupercomputer.



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A Romance in Sixteen Dimensions


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Original communication paths of EmeagwalisHyperBall as an Earth-sized supercomputer andtheorized Internet. We now think of it as the practical

Internet



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Emeagwali on the Hypercube

Excerpt from a lecture delivered at NASA Ames 1990]



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II ppllootttteedd ssiixxtteeeenn hhyyppeerrccuubbee ggrraapphhss bbyyccoonnnneeccttiinngg tthheevveerrttiicceess oofftthhee nneexxtt ssmmaalllleerr ggrraapphh.. TThhee lliinnkkss ooffmmyyhhyyppeerrccuubbee ccoommppuutteerr ccoorrrreessppoonndd ttoo tthhee eeddggeess ooffmmyyaassssoocciiaatteedd hhyyppeerrccuubbee ggrraapphh..



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TThheenn II ccoolloorreedd mmyyggrraapphhss ssoo tthhaatt II ccoouulldd sseeee tthheettwweellvvee iinnddeeppeennddeenntt ppaatthhss ooffmmyy ttwweellvvee--ddiimmeennssiioonnaallhhyyppeerrccuubbee.. II uussee tthheessee iinnddeeppeennddeenntt ppaatthhss ttoo ddeelliivveerr aammeessssaaggee bbeettwweeeenn aannyyttwwoo pprroocceessssiinngg nnooddeess tthhaatt aarreetthhee ffaarrtthheesstt ppoossssiibbllee ddiissttaannccee aappaarrtt..

FFiinnaallllyy,, II iiddeennttiiffiieedd eevveerryynnooddee iinn mmyyhhyyppeerrccuubbeeccoommppuutteerr bbyyaa uunniiqquuee bbiinnaarryynnuummbbeerr wwhhiicchh ccoonnssiissttss

ooff00''ss aanndd 11''ss..II ggeenneerraatteedd 44009966 1122--ddiiggiitt nnuummbbeerrss wwhhiicchh wwiillll ffiillll uupp5500 ppaaggeess wwiitthh oonnllyyzzeerrooeess aanndd oonneess.. AAss aammaatthheemmaattiicciiaann,, II vviissuuaallllyyeexxaammiinnee tthhee ppaatttteerrnnss iinn ttwwoo1122--ddiiggiitt bbiinnaarryynnuummbbeerrss 000000 000011 000000 000000 aanndd 001100000011 000000 000000 tteellll tthheeyyaarree nneeaarreesstt nneeiigghhbboorrss,, wwhhiillee000000 111111 000000 000000 aanndd 000000 000000 111111 000000 aarree aa ddiissttaannccee

ooff66 ccoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn cchhaannnneellss aappaarrtt..

II hhaadd ttoo kknnoowwwwhhooss wwhhoo aanndd wwhheerree eeaacchh pprroocceessssoorr iissllooccaatteedd bbeeffoorree II ccoouulldd ccoommmmaanndd iitt ttoo oobbeeyymmyyiinnssttrruuccttiioonnss..



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TThhee aabboovvee ddiiaaggrraamm ddeemmoonnssttrraatteess tthhee iinnffoorrmmaattiioonnppaatthhwwaayyss ooffmmyyhhyyppeerrccuubbee ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr wwiitthh 3322nnooddeess.. TThhee 3322 ppiinnkkddoottss rreepprreesseenntt 3322 ccoommppuuttiinnggnnooddeess,, aanndd tthhee ffiivvee lliinneess,, eemmaannaattiinngg ttoo aanndd ffrroomm eeaacchhnnooddee,, rreepprreesseenntt ccoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn cchhaannnneellss.. IIpprrooggrraammmmeedd aa ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr wwiitthh 1122 bbii--ddiirreeccttiioonnaallccoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn cchhaannnneellss eemmaannaattiinngg ttoo aanndd ffrroomm eeaacchh

nnooddee ttoo ssoollvvee ssoommee oofftthhee pprroobblleemmss ddeessccrriibbeedd bbyytthhee

A Romance in Sixteen DimensionsUU SS ggoovveerrnnmmeenntt aass tthhee mmoosstt ddiiffffiiccuulltt iinn


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UU..SS.. ggoovveerrnnmmeenntt aass tthhee mmoosstt ddiiffffiiccuulltt iinnssuuppeerrccoommppuuttiinngg..

A Romance in Sixteen DimensionsThe communication paths of my eight-dimensional


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The communication paths of my eight-dimensionalhypercube.

EEaacchh pprroocceessssoorr ((ssyymmbboolliiccaallllyyrreepprreesseenntteedd bbyyaa ppooiinntt))hhaass eeiigghhtt ccoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn cchhaannnneellss ((rreepprreesseenntteedd bbyyaalliinnee)) eemmaannaattiinngg ffrroomm iitt..

II wwaass pplleeaasseedd wwhheenn iitt mmaaddee tthhee hheeaaddlliinneess tthhaatt IIpprrooggrraammmmeedd 6655,,553366 pprroocceessssoorrss ttoo ppeerrffoorrmm tthhee

wwoorrllddss ffaasstteesstt ccoommppuuttaattiioonn ((ii..ee.. 33..11 bbiilllliioonnccaallccuullaattiioonnss ppeerr sseeccoonndd iinn 11998888))..

YYeett,, II nneevveerr sseett oouutt ttoo eessttaabblliisshh aa wwoorrlldd ccoommppuuttiinnggrreeccoorrdd.. MMyyccaallccuullaattiioonnss mmaaddee tthhee hheeaaddlliinneess bbeeccaauussee iitthhaadd,, aatt tthhaatt ttiimmee,, bbeeeenn wwiiddeellyybbeelliieevveedd tthhaatt iitt wwoouulldd

bbee iimmppoossssiibbllee ttoo pprrooggrraamm tthhoouussaannddss ooffpprroocceessssoorrss ttoooouuttppeerrffoorrmm ccoonnvveennttiioonnaall ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrss..

AAlltthhoouugghh mmaannyyppeeooppllee rreemmeemmbbeerr mmyy ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrccaallccuullaattiioonnss,, mmyyrreesseeaarrcchh wwaass nneevveerr oonnssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrss,,ppeerr ssee.. IItt wwaass oonn tthhee kkeerrnneell ooffkknnoowwlleeddggee tthhaatt ppoowweerrss bbootthh tthhee ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr aanndd

tthhee IInntteerrnneett.. MMyyffooccuuss wwaass oonn tthhee ccoonncceeppttuuaall

A Romance in Sixteen Dimensionsffoouunnddaattiioonn ooff tthhee nneexxtt--ggeenneerraattiioonn IInntteerrnneett nnaammeellyy


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ffoouunnddaattiioonn oofftthhee nneexxtt ggeenneerraattiioonn IInntteerrnneett,, nnaammeellyyccoommppuuttaattiioonn aanndd ccoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn..

IInn tthhee 11998800ss,, tthhee ddeebbaattee aammoonngg ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrmmaannuuffaaccttuurreerrss wwaass::

IIss iitt pprraaccttiiccaall ttoo uussee tthhoouussaannddss ooffpprroocceessssoorrss??

TThhee IIBBMM aanndd ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr ggiiaannttss ssaaiidd:: nnoo.. IIaannsswweerreedd yyeess aanndd II wwaass pprroovveenn rriigghhtt..

TThhee eesssseennccee ooffmmyyrreesseeaarrcchh wwaass ttoo ddeemmoonnssttrraattee tthhaatttthhoouussaannddss ooffiinneexxppeennssiivvee pprroocceessssoorrss ccoouullddoouuttppeerrffoorrmm aannyyssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr.. IInn ootthheerr wwoorrddss,, II

wwaanntteedd ttoo ccrreeaattee tthhee kknnoowwlleeddggee tthhaatt ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrsssshhoouulldd uuttiilliizzee tthhoouussaannddss ooffpprroocceessssoorrss.. II aaddddeedd nneewwkknnoowwlleeddggee tthhaatt iiss iinnccoorrppoorraatteedd iinnssiiddee aallllssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrss.. SSiinnccee mmyyddiissccoovveerryy-- iinn ppaarrtt -- ooppeenneeddaanndd pprreeppaarreedd tthhee nneewwtteecchhnnoollooggyyffoorrccoommmmeerrcciiaalliizzaattiioonn,, II aamm ccoonnssiiddeerreedd aa ppiioonneeeerr iinnssuuppeerrccoommppuuttiinngg..



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MMyywwiiffee ((DDaallee)) aanndd II aatt tthhee GGoorrddoonn BBeellll PPrriizzee aawwaarrddcceerreemmoonnyytthhaatt rreeccooggnniizzeedd mmyyccoonnttrriibbuuttiioonn ttoossuuppeerrccoommppuuttiinngg.. [[CCaatthheeddrraall HHiillll HHootteell,, SSaannFFrraannsscciissccoo,, CCaalliiffoorrnniiaa.. FFeebbrruuaarryy2288,, 11999900]]



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Emeagwali's 18 Equations That Couldn't Be Solved


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statements described by the Second Law of Motiond i l b i b l Al ith b d


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expressed in algebraic symbols. Algorithms based

upon the latter factual statements can be iterated(projected) into the future to forecast tomorrows

weather or determine the amount of oil that can berecovered.

An algorithm is a precise rule specifying how to solve

an equation. It can be loosely compared to a culinaryrecipe, although algorithms are generally repetitiveand more complex.

Consider the quadratic equation which we all studiedin school:

The algorithm for solving it is X equals negative b,plus or minus square root, b squared minus 4ac, allover 2a.

Similarly, I reformulated my nine partial differential

equations, into nine difference equations (thecorresponding algorithm) for solving them at 24


million places within the Earth and at thousands ofdifferent times (Unlike a single quadratic equation it


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different times. (Unlike a single quadratic equation, it

will take you forever to solve 24 million algebraicequations.) The end result is that my nine algorithmsare repeated about a trillion times by asupercomputer. I invented these algorithms becausethey make my equations solvable on a computer.

This is when it pays to be a jack-of-all-trades scientistwho can coordinate between different subjects. Amathematician can only formulate the equations withthe assistance of a physicist. It takes a computerscientist to formulate the algorithms and solve themon a supercomputer. Neither the mathematician,physicist or computer scientist understands what theresults signify, or how it affects flows along the little

oil streams and rivulets underneath the Earths surfce.It takes a geologist to ask and answer the question:What does it all mean?

To a layperson, my equations appear to be a strangehieroglyphics of numbers and symbols. However, itconnects physics and mathematics because my 18formulas build on the four dominant forces within an


oil field, namely pressure, gravitation, viscosity andinertia (acceleration)


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inertia (acceleration).

Your weight is a measure of the acceleration forceexerted by the Earth upon your body. If you stand ona bathroom scale inside an elevator (amusement orroller coaster ride) your weightincreases (decreases) as youtravel upward (or downward).Do you recall feeling lighter asthe elevator goes downward?

Previously, petroleumgeologists assumed that theamount of acceleration forces

(oil weight) when oil flows towards and upwards of anoil well are negligible. Using the elevator analogy, Iproved that acceleration forces could not be ignored

within an oil field.

Utilizing advanced mathematical methods andincorporating inertial forces, I developed a more

powerful set of 18 supercomputer formulas that will


increase the amount of oil recovered. Because, Iinclude inertia my equations were not longer


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include inertia, my equations were not longer

parabolic as the conventional ones. Instead, theybecame hyperbolic which made them more suitablefor supercomputer programming.

The U.S. government called it one of the twenty mostdifficult problems in supercomputing. The petroleumindustry purchases ten percent of all supercomputersto increase the amount of oil recovered.



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If you accelerate upwards inside an elevator by 10m/s2, your weight will double. If you decelerate by 5


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/ y g y y 5

m/s2, you lose half your weight. If I cut the elevatorcable and you will become weightless and cannot poura glass of water for a brief moment. I incorporatedthis knowledge in the 18 equations I discovered.


The old petroleum reservoir models implies that theweight of oil remains constant as it travels towards


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g

and upwards of an oil well (or elevator).

From my perspective as a mathematical physicist, theEarths atmosphere is a reservoir of air, the ocean is areservoir of water and an oil field is a reservoir of

petroleum. Newton's Second Law of Motion statesthat the forces within any reservoir of fluid (air, wateror petroleum) are unbalanced and that theacceleration produced within the reservoir isproportional to the force impressed.

The inertial forces are incorporated by weather

forecasters but are ignored by petroleum geologists.First, I demonstrated that petroleum geologists were

violating Newton's Second Law of Motion which isapplicable throughout the universe - and then Imathematically codified and incorporated thisuniversal law as new system of partial differentialequations that could be used to recover more oil.


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An Opera With 65,000 ProcessorsAn Opera With 65000 Processors


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Because as a mathematician I think in the abstract, Icould wear the hats of a meteorologist, geologist ornuclear weapon designer. My equations areabstraction of a weather-field, oilfield or nuclearexplosion site which allows me to fast forward into the

future and see and understand these phenomena withgreater clarity, focus, and a fresh dimension.

My final calculations were conducted on anexperimental machine belonging to the Los AlamosNational Laboratory, the birthplace of the atomic

bomb and also the headquarters of supercomputing.

An Opera With 65,000 Processors


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An artist's rendition of a nuclear explosion. A nuclearblast is simulated by using a supercomputer withthousands of processors to solve a complex andcoupled system of partial differential equations. Theseequations are symbolic expressions of the laws ofphysics and chemistry.

Fundamentally, the mathematical equations used innuclear explosions and weather forecasting aresimilar, except that one is classified and the othernon-classified.

An Opera With 65,000 ProcessorsFor example, weapon designers, meteorologists, andgeologists perform similar calculations: temperature,


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pressure, and density during a Hiroshima nuclearexplosions, Earths atmosphere or petroleumreservoir, respectively. The physical difference is thata nuclear explosion takes place in an instant (or whatmathematicians describe as small time and spacescales) while a petroleum reservoir is operated forabout 20 years. Also, the goal is to ensure that the

conditions within a nuclear weapon are extreme. It isthe extreme temperatures and pressures of a nuclearweapon that obliterates everything within its path.

As a mathematical physicist, I know that since anuclear explosion is about motion and therefore, must

be governed by the same laws of motion that govern

flows within the Earth's atmosphere and oilfields. Inother words, my discovery was a valid proof-of-principle for nuclear weapons designers thatthousands of processors could be harnessed tosimulate nuclear blasts.



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Emeagwali invented 18 equations and algorithms forsupercomputers. emeagwali.com

First, I used an advanced form of calculus calledpartial differential equations to codify NewtonsSecond Law of Motion.

An Opera With 65,000 ProcessorsSecond, I solved them within an imaginary twelve-dimensional mathematical universe called

h b


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hypercubes.

Geometers define the fourth dimension of thehypercube as thatbeyond Length, Height, and

Width. The fifth and higher dimensions are similarlyderived.

In a theoretical sense, I mentally hopped into atwelve-dimensional geometrical universe to solve athree-dimensional physical problem. My approachmay seem counterintuitive to a layperson, butmathematicians understand that it is sometimeseasier to escape into higher dimensions. Science

fiction writers, use this logic to describe how a personcan escape a homicidal gunman by running into thefourth dimension. Similarly, a surgeon in a fourthdimensional world, which encompasses our universe,can operate inside your intestines and removecancerous cells without cutting. One of the secrets tomy success was that my twelve-dimensionalhypercube supercomputer provided extra

communication paths for my information to travel.


In performing my calculations, I divided a hugeilfi ld i t 6 6 ll ilfi ld d th


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oilfield into 65,536 smaller oilfields and thendistributed these problems to 65,536 processors that

were networked together as a 12-dimensionalhypercube supercomputer with 16 processors at eachof its 4,096 nodes. Its graph is obtained by replacingeach node of the 12-dimensional hypercubesupercomputer by a 16-vertex two-dimensional mesh.

The graph of the 16-processors at each computationalnode of my hypercube supercomputer.



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EEmmeeaaggwwaallii uusseedd tthhee llaawwss ggoovveerrnniinngg tthhee mmoottiioonn ooffppllaanneettss ttoo ccoommppuuttee tthhee mmoottiioonn wwiitthhiinn ooiill rreesseerrvvooiirrss..HHee iiss aa ttrraaiinneedd aassttrroonnoommeerr aanndd hhiiss ffiirrsstt pprrooffeessssiioonnaall

jjoobb ooffffeerr wwaass aass aann aassttrroonnoommeerr ffoorr tthhee UU..SS.. NNaavvaallOObbsseerrvvaattoorryy..

This I RememberTThhiiss IIRReemmeemmbbeerr

TTIIMMEELLIINNEE:: PPhhiilliipp EEmmeeaaggwwaallii

k li (f h f hili )


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1921. James Nnaemeka Emeagwali (father of Philip)born in May in Onitsha, Nigeria.

1938. Agatha Emeagwali, ne Balonwu, (mother ofPhilip) born on August 7 in Onitsha.

1954 Chukwurah Emeagwali born on August 23 inAkure, Nigeria.

1955 Baptized as Philip

1960 Enrolls in 1st

grade in January. Nigeria gainsindependence from Britain on October 1.

This I Remember


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1962 Philip (far right) in family photo taken onDecember 24 in Uromi, Nigeria.

1966 Nigerian military overthrows electedgovernment. Civil uprising with 30,000 dead.

1967 Nigerian-Biafran war begins in May. Onemillion died in 30-month war.

1968 Emeagwali family fled Onitsha for the fourthand final time.

This I Remember1969 Emeagwali conscripted into the Biafran army in

August, sent to Oguta war front.


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1970 Biafran army defeated in January. Emeagwali isdischarged from the Biafran army.

1973 Emeagwali wins a mathematics scholarship tostudy in the U.S.

1981 Marries Dale Brown on August 15 in Baltimore,Maryland. Continues scientific research at National

Weather Service.

1983 Obtains U.S. permanent residency Green

Card visas for his 35 closest relatives.

1987 Programs 65,536 electronic brains, calledprocessors to perform the worlds fastest calculation.

This I Remember1989 Wins the Gordon Bell Prize alone, theequivalent in the supercomputer industry of the Nobel

Prize.


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Prize.

2000 Bill Clinton extols Emeagwali as one of thegreat minds of the Information Age.

This I Remember2004New African magazine poll ranks Emeagwali

as historys greatest scientist of African descent.


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1972-2005 emeagwali.com [email protected] Page 94 of 5172005PPhhiilliipp,, DDaallee aanndd IIjjeeoommaa EEmmeeaaggwwaallii,, JJuunnee 88..

The Invisible SecondWorlds Fastest Calculation


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The Invisible SecondThe Invisible Second

In 1987, Emeagwali programmed 65,536 electronic brains, called

processors, at the Los Alamos National Laboratory


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p o o , o o o bo o y

(the birthplace of the atomic bomb) to perform the worlds fastest

calculation. Emeagwali explains:

II wwaass aasskkeedd ttoo sshhaarree ttooddaayytthhee ssttoorryybbeehhiinndd mmyyssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr ddiissccoovveerryy.. IItt wwoouulldd rreeqquuiirree sseevveerraall

bbooookkss ttoo tteellll tthhee wwhhoollee ssttoorryy,, bbuutt II wwiillll sshhaarree aa sshhoorrtt

oonnee tthhaatt II hhaavvee nneevveerr ttoolldd aannyyoonnee..

TThhee jjoouurrnneeyyooffddiissccoovveerryyttoo mmyyssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr wwaass aattiittaanniicc,, oonnee--mmaann ssttrruuggggllee.. IItt wwaass lliikkee cclliimmbbiinngg MMoouunnttEEvveerreesstt.. OOnn mmaannyyooccccaassiioonnss II ffeelltt lliikkee ggiivviinngg uupp..BBeeccaauussee II wwaass ttrraauummaattiizzeedd bbyytthhee rraacciissmm II hhaadd

eennccoouunntteerreedd iinn sscciieennccee,, II mmaaiinnttaaiinneedd aa sseellff--iimmppoosseeddssiilleennccee oonn tthhee ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr ddiissccoovveerryytthhaatt iiss mmyyccllaaiimm ttoo ffaammee..

II wwiillll sshhaarree wwiitthh yyoouu aa ssuuppeerrccoommppuuttiinngg iinnssiigghhtt tthhaatteevveenn tthhee eexxppeerrttss iinn mmyyffiieelldd ddiidd nnoott kknnoowwtthheenn aanndd ddoonnoott kknnoowwnnooww.. IInn tthhee 11998800ss,, ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrss ccoouulldd

ppeerrffoorrmm oonnllyymmiilllliioonnss ooffccaallccuullaattiioonnss ppeerr sseeccoonndd aanndd,,

The Invisible Secondtthheerreeffoorree,, tthheeiirr ttiimmeerrss wweerree ddeessiiggnneedd ttoo mmeeaassuurree oonnllyymmiilllliioonnss ooffccaallccuullaattiioonnss ppeerr sseeccoonndd..


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The Invisible SecondBBuutt II wwaass ppeerrffoorrmmiinngg bbiilllliioonnss ooffccaallccuullaattiioonnss ppeerrsseeccoonndd aanndd uunnkknnoowwiinnggllyyaatttteemmppttiinngg ttoo ttiimmee iitt wwiitthh aa

ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr ttiimmeerr,, wwhhiicchh wwaass ddeessiiggnneedd ttoo mmeeaassuurreemmiilllliioonnss ooff ccaallccuullaattiioonnss ppeerr sseeccoonndd.. II aassssuummeedd mmyy


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mmiilllliioonnss ooffccaallccuullaattiioonnss ppeerr sseeccoonndd.. II aassssuummeedd mmyyttiimmeerr ccoouulldd mmeeaassuurree oonnee--bbiilllliioonntthh ooffaa sseeccoonndd.. IItt ttooookkmmee ttwwoo yyeeaarrss ttoo rreeaalliizzee mmyyttiimmeerr wwaass ooffffaa tthhoouussaannddffoolldd.. II wwaass ooppeerraattiinngg bbeeyyoonndd aa ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrsslliimmiittaattiioonnss,, bbuutt II ddiidd nnoott kknnoowwiitt.. TThhee ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrddeessiiggnneerrss ddiidd nnoott eexxppeecctt tthheeiirr ttiimmeerrss ttoo bbee uusseedd ttoommeeaassuurree ccaallccuullaattiioonnss aatt tthhaatt rraattee..

II aallmmoosstt ggaavvee uupp bbeeccaauussee II ccoouulldd nnoott ttiimmee aannddrreepprroodduuccee mmyyccaallccuullaattiioonnss wwhhiicchh,, iinn ttuurrnn,, mmeeaanntt IIccoouulldd nnoott sshhaarree tthheemm,, ttwwoo yyeeaarrss eeaarrlliieerr,, wwiitthh tthhee

wwoorrlldd.. AAfftteerr yyeeaarrss ooffrreesseeaarrcchh,, mmyyssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrssttiimmeerr wwaass tthhee oonnllyytthhiinngg ssttooppppiinngg mmee ffrroomm ggeettttiinngg tthhee

rreeccooggnniittiioonn II ddeesseerrvveedd.. II rreeaalliizzeedd tthhee ttiimmeerr wwaass wwrroonngg,,bbuutt II ccoouulldd nnoott eexxppllaaiinn wwhhyy.. II ssppeenntt ttwwoo yyeeaarrss mmuulllliinnggoovveerr wwhhyytthhee ttiimmeerr wwaass wwrroonngg.. IItt ttooookkttwwoo lloonngg aannddlloonneellyyyyeeaarrss ttoo ddiissccoovveerr wwhhyyII ccoouulldd nnoott ttiimmee mmyyccaallccuullaattiioonnss..

The Invisible SecondMMyy33..11 bbiilllliioonn ccaallccuullaattiioonnss ppeerr sseeccoonndd,, wwhhiicchh wweerreetthheenn tthhee wwoorrllddss ffaasstteesstt,, wweerree ssiimmppllyyttoooo ffaasstt ffoorr tthhee

ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrss ttiimmeerr..


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EEmmeeaaggwwaallii rreepprrooggrraammmmeedd,, iinn aa vviirrttuuaall sseennssee,, hhiissssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr ttiimmeerr ttiicckkiinntteerrvvaall ttoo eennaabbllee hhiimmmmeeaassuurree oonnee ttrriilllliioonntthh ooffaa sseeccoonndd..

WWhhaatt II lleeaarrnneedd ffrroomm tthhaatt eexxppeerriieennccee wwaass nnoott ttoo qquuiittwwhheenn ffaacceedd wwiitthh aann iinnssuurrmmoouunnttaabbllee oobbssttaaccllee aannddtthhaatt bbeelliieevviinngg iinn yyoouurrsseellffmmaakkeess aallll tthhee ddiiffffeerreennccee.. IIlleeaarrnneedd ttoo ttaakkee aa sstteepp bbaacckkwwaarrdd aanndd eevvaalluuaattee tthhee

The Invisible Secondooppttiioonnss:: SShhoouulldd II ggoo tthhrroouugghh,, aabboovvee,, uunnddeerr,, oorr aarroouunnddtthhee oobbssttaaccllee?? QQuuiittttiinngg,, II ddeecciiddeedd,, wwaass nnoott aann ooppttiioonn..

IInnddeeeedd,, tthhee oolldd ssaayyiinngg iiss ttrruuee:: WWhheenn tthhee ggooiinngg ggeettssttoouugghh,, tthhee ttoouugghh ggeett ggooiinngg..


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gg , gg gg gg gg

LLooookkiinngg bbaacckk,, II lleeaarrnneedd tthhaatt mmoosstt lliimmiittaattiioonnss iinn lliiffeeaarree sseellff--iimmppoosseedd.. YYoouu hhaavvee ttoo mmaakkee tthhiinnggss hhaappppeenn,,nnoott jjuusstt wwaattcchh tthhiinnggss hhaappppeenn.. TToo ssuucccceeeedd,, yyoouu mmuussttccoonnssttaannttllyyrreejjeecctt ccoommppllaacceennccyy..

II lleeaarrnneedd II ccoouulldd sseett hhiigghh oobbjjeeccttiivveess aanndd ggooaallss aannddaacchhiieevvee tthheemm.. TThhee sseeccrreett ttoo mmyyssuucccceessss iiss tthhaatt II aammccoonnssttaannttllyyssttrriivviinngg ffoorr ccoonnttiinnuuoouuss iimmpprroovveemmeennttss iinnmmyylliiffee aanndd tthhaatt II aamm nneevveerr ssaattiissffiieedd wwiitthh mmyyaacchhiieevveemmeennttss..

TThhee mmyytthh tthhaatt aa ggeenniiuuss mmuusstt hhaavvee aabboovvee--aavveerraaggeeiinntteelllliiggeennccee iiss jjuusstt tthhaatt,, aa mmyytthh.. GGeenniiuusseess aarree ppeeooppllee

wwhhoo lleeaarrnn ttoo ccrreeaattee tthheeiirr oowwnn ppoossiittiivvee rreeiinnffoorrcceemmeennttsswwhheenn tthheeiirr eexxppeerriimmeennttss yyiieelldd nneeggaattiivvee rreessuullttss..PPeerrsseevveerraannccee iiss tthhee kkeeyy.. MMyyggooaall wwaass ttoo ggoo bbeeyyoonndd tthheekknnoowwnn,, ttoo aa tteerrrriittoorryynnoo oonnee hhaadd eevveerr rreeaacchheedd..

The Invisible SecondII lleeaarrnneedd tthhaatt iiffyyoouu wwaanntt ssuucccceessss bbaaddllyyeennoouugghh aanndd

bbeelliieevvee iinn yyoouurrsseellff,, tthheenn yyoouu ccaann aattttaaiinn yyoouurr ggooaallss aanndd

bbeeccoommee aannyytthhiinngg yyoouu wwaanntt iinn lliiffee..


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TThhee ggrreeaatteesstt cchhaalllleennggee iinn yyoouurr lliiffee iiss ttoo llooookkddeeeeppwwiitthhiinn yyoouurrsseellffttoo sseeee tthhee ggrreeaattnneessss tthhaatt iiss iinnssiiddee yyoouu,,aanndd tthhoossee aarroouunndd yyoouu..

TThhee hhiissttoorryybbooookkss mmaayyddeepprriivvee AAffrriiccaann cchhiillddrreenn oofftthheehheerrooeess wwiitthh wwhhoomm tthheeyyccaann iiddeennttiiffyy,, bbuutt iinn ssttrriivviinngg ffoorr

yyoouurr oowwnn ggooaallss,, yyoouu ccaann bbeeccoommee tthhaatt hheerroo ffoorr tthheemm aanndd yyoouurr oowwnn hheerroo,, ttoooo..

II oonnccee bbeelliieevveedd mmyyssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr ddiissccoovveerryywwaassmmoorree iimmppoorrttaanntt tthhaann tthhee jjoouurrnneeyytthhaatt ggoott mmee tthheerree.. II

nnoowwuunnddeerrssttaanndd tthhee jjoouurrnneeyyttoo ddiissccoovveerryyiiss mmoorreeiimmppoorrttaanntt tthhaann tthhee ddiissccoovveerryyiittsseellff;; tthhaatt tthhee jjoouurrnneeyyaallssoo rreeqquuiirreess aa bbeelliieeffiinn yyoouurr oowwnn aabbiilliittiieess..

II lleeaarrnneedd tthhaatt nnoo mmaatttteerr hhoowwoofftteenn yyoouu ffaallll ddoowwnn,, oorrhhoowwhhaarrdd yyoouu ffaallll ddoowwnn,, wwhhaatt iiss mmoosstt iimmppoorrttaanntt iiss

The Invisible Secondtthhaatt yyoouu rriissee uupp aanndd ccoonnttiinnuuee uunnttiill yyoouu rreeaacchh yyoouurrggooaall..

IIttss ttrruuee ssoommee hheerrooeess aarree nneevveerr rreeccooggnniizzeedd bbuutt wwhhaattss


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IItt ss ttrruuee,, ssoommee hheerrooeess aarree nneevveerr rreeccooggnniizzeedd,, bbuutt wwhhaatt ssiimmppoorrttaanntt iiss tthhaatt tthheeyyrreeccooggnniizzee tthheemmsseellvveess.. IItt iiss tthhaatt

bbeelliieeffiinn yyoouurrsseellff,, tthhaatt ffooccuuss,, aanndd tthhaatt iinnnneerr ccoonnvviiccttiioonntthhaatt yyoouu aarree oonn tthhee rriigghhtt ppaatthh,, tthhaatt wwiillll ggeett yyoouutthhrroouugghh lliiffeess oobbssttaacclleess..

IIffwwee ccaann ggiivvee oouurr cchhiillddrreenn pprriiddee iinn tthheeiirr ppaasstt,, tthheenn wweeccaann sshhoowwtthheemm wwhhaatt tthheeyyccaann bbee aanndd ggiivvee tthheemm tthheesseellff--rreessppeecctt tthhaatt wwiillll mmaakkee tthheemm ssuucccceeeedd..

The Invisible Second


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EEmmeeaaggwwaallii ((wwiitthh 6655,,000000 pprroocceessssoorr ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr iinntthhee bbaacckkggrroouunndd)),, CCaammbbrriiddggee,, MMAA.. 11999900

The Answer Has ChangedTThhee AAnnsswweerrHHaass CChhaannggeeddTTIIMMEELLIINNEE:: SSuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr && IInntteerrnneett


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TTIIMMEELLIINNEE:: SSuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr && IInntteerrnneett

TThhee wwoorrdd ccoommppuutteerr wwaass ccooiinneedd 660000 yyeeaarrss aaggoo bbuutttthhee ccoommppuutteerr hhaass bbeeeenn rreeiinnvveenntteedd oovveerr aanndd oovveerr..HHeennccee tthhee tteerrmmiinnoollooggyyiiss tthhee ssaammee bbuutt tthhee tteecchhnnoollooggyy

iiss ddiiffffeerreenntt.. AAccttuuaallllyy,, rreeiinnvveennttiinngg ccoommppuutteerrss iiss aapprroocceessss tthhaatt hhaass bbeeeenn ggooiinngg oonn ffoorr tthhoouussaannddss ooffyyeeaarrss..TThhee aabbaaccuuss,, aa ccoommppuuttiinngg ddeevviiccee iinnvveenntteedd ttwwootthhoouussaanndd yyeeaarrss aaggoo bbyytthhee CChhiinneessee,, wwaass rreeiinnvveenntteedd aassaa TTaabbllee ooffLLooggaarriitthhmmss.. TThheenn tthhee llooggaarriitthhmm wwaassrreeiinnvveenntteedd aass aa sslliiddee rruullee.. TThhee sslliiddee rruullee wwaass

rreeiinnvveenntteedd aass aa mmeecchhaanniiccaall ccoommppuutteerr wwhhiicchh wwaassssuucccceeeeddeedd bbyytthhee ddiiggiittaall aanndd ppaarraalllleell ccoommppuutteerrss,,rreessppeeccttiivveellyy..

TThheerreeffoorree,, ccoommppuutteerrss hhaavvee bbeeeenn pprrooggrreessssiivveellyyrreeffiinneedd

aanndd rreeiinnvveenntteedd ffrroomm mmaannuuaallllyy--ooppeerraatteedd aabbaaccuuss ttoo aammoorree ccoommpplleexx mmaacchhiinnee tthhaatt iiss ppoowweerreedd bbyytthhoouussaannddssooffpprroocceessssoorrss..

TThhee ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr wwaass nnoott iinnvveenntteedd aatt aa ppaarrttiiccuullaarr

ttiimmee aanndd ppllaaccee.. IItt hhaadd eexxiisstteedd ffoorr mmiilllleennnniiaa.. IItt wwaassrreeiinnvveenntteedd aass aa vveeccttoorr ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr iinn tthhee 11997700ss

The Answer Has Changedaanndd tthheenn rreeiinnvveenntteedd aass aa ppaarraalllleell ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr iinntthhee 11999900ss.. TThhee ppaarraalllleell ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr eexxiisstteedd iinn tthhee


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p p p11998800ss aass aann eexxppeerriimmeennttaall mmaacchhiinnee bbuuttddeemmoonnssttrraattiinngg tthhaatt iitt wwaass mmoorree ppoowweerrffuull tthhaann aannyy((vveeccttoorr)) ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr lleedd ttoo iittss uuppggrraaddee ttoo aapprroodduuccttiioonn mmaacchhiinnee.. TTooddaayy,, aallll ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrss aarree

ddeessiiggnneedd aass aa ppaarraalllleell ccoommppuutteerr..

IInn ffaacctt,, ssiinnccee tthhee ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr ooffttooddaayywwaass tthheeccoommppuutteerr ooffyyeesstteerrddaayy,, wwee mmiigghhtt bbee wwiittnneessssiinngg tthheerreeiinnvveennttiioonn oofftthhee ccoommppuutteerr..

HHoowwddoo wwee ddeeffiinnee tthhee rreeiinnvveennttiioonn oorr ttuurrnniinngg ppooiinntt.. AArree--iinnvveennttiioonn mmuusstt ggoo tthhrroouugghh tthhrreeee ggooeess tthhrroouugghhtthhrreeee ssttaaggeess ooffaacccceeppttaannccee.. TThhee ffiirrsstt iiss tthhee iitt wwiillll nnoottwwoorrkk ssttaaggee.. IIBBMM''ss ttoopp ccoommppuutteerr ddeessiiggnneerr,, GGeennee

AAmmddaahhll,, bbeelliieevveedd tthhaatt iitt iiss nnoott ffeeaassiibbllee ttoo uusseetthhoouussaannddss ooffpprroocceessssoorrss ttoo ssoollvvee oonnee pprraaccttiiccaallpprroobblleemmss.. HHiiss sskkeeppttiicciissmm wwaass ddeessccrriibbeedd iinn hhiiss ffaammoouussAAmmddaahhll''ss LLaaww.. IInn 11998899,, 6644,,000000 pprroocceessssoorrss ttooffoorreeccaasstt tthhee wweeaatthheerr wwaass ccoonnssiiddeerreedd iimmppoossssiibbllee.. TThheesseeccoonndd iiss tthhee eevveenn iiffiitt wwoorrkkss iitt wwiillll nnoott bbee uusseeffuull..SSeeyymmoouurr CCrraayy,, ffoouunnddeerr oofftthhee llaarrggeesstt ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrmmaannuuffaaccttuurriinngg ccoommppaannyyaarrgguueedd tthhaatt tthhoouussaannddss ooff

The Answer Has Changedwweeaakkpprroocceessssoorrss wwiillll nnoott wwoorrkkaass wweellll aass aa hhaannddffuull ooffppoowweerrffuull vveeccttoorr pprroocceessssoorrss.. FFiinnaallllyy,, tthhee rree--iinnvveennttiioonn


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ggaaiinnss aacccceeppttaannccee aanndd tthhoossee wwhhoo rreejjeecctteedd iitt rreeccllaaiimmss iittaass iitt wwaass oouurr iiddeeaa..

TThhee ttuurrnniinngg ppooiinntt wwaass tthhee ddiissccoovveerryytthhaatt 6655,,000000 oofftthhee wweeaakkeesstt pprroocceessssoorrss wwoorrkkffaasstteerr ttooggeetthheerr tthhaann tthheemmoosstt ppoowweerrffuull vveeccttoorr pprroocceessssoorrss.. IItt wwaass tthhiiss ddiissccoovveerryytthhaatt iinnssppiirreedd ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr mmaannuuffaaccttuurreerrss ttooiinnccoorrppoorraattee tthhoouussaannddss ooffpprroocceessssoorrss iinn tthheeiirrmmaacchhiinneess..

DDuurriinngg aa 2200tthh aannnniivveerrssaarryyaalluummnnii rreeuunniioonn,, aa ffaatthheerrddeecciiddeedd ttoo aauuddiitt aa ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr pprrooggrraammmmiinnggccoouurrssee hhee pprreevviioouussllyyttooookk.. TThhaatt ddaayy,, tthhee pprrooffeessssoorrddeecciiddeedd ttoo ggiivvee aa ssuurrpprriissee qquuiizz.. AAfftteerr rreeaaddiinngg oovveerr tthhee

tteesstt,, tthhee ffaatthheerr rraaiisseedd hhiiss hhaanndd,, llooookkiinngg uuppsseett hheeqquueerriieedd::

TThheessee aarree tthhee ssaammee qquueessttiioonnss yyoouu ggaavvee mmee aass aassttuuddeenntt..

The Answer Has ChangedTThhaatt''ss ttrruuee,, ssaaiidd tthhee pprrooffeessssoorr..


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TThhee qquueessttiioonnss aarree tthhee ssaammee,, bbuutt tthhee aannsswweerrss aarreeddiiffffeerreenntt,, hhee ccoonnttiinnuueedd wwiitthh aa cchhuucckkllee..

HHoowwccaann tthhaatt bbee?? tthhee vviissiittoorr qquueerriieedd..

TThhee ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr hhaass bbeeeenn rreeiinnvveenntteedd,, tthheeqquueessttiioonn iiss bbeeeenn ddiirreecctteedd ttoo tthhee 6655,,000000--pprroocceessssoorr

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TThhee vviissiittoorr nnooddddeedd hhiiss hheeaadd iinn aaggrreeeemmeenntt aannddccoonncceeddeedd.. TThhee aannsswweerr ttoo tthhee qquueessttiioonn WWhhoo iinnvveenntteeddtthhee ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr?? cchhaannggeess eeaacchh ttiimmee tthhee

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hhaass bbeeeenn rreeiinnvveenntteedd oovveerr aanndd oovveerr,, tthhee aannsswweerrss hhaavveecchhaannggeedd oovveerr aanndd oovveerr..

TTaakkee ffoorr eexxaammppllee,, tthhee ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrss oofftthhee 11994400ss

wwhhiicchh wweerree ppoowweerreedd bbyyoonnee pprroocceessssoorr.. TThhee

The Answer Has Changedssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerrss oofftthhee 11999900ss wweerree rreeiinnvveenntteedd aannddppoowweerreedd bbyyuupp ttoo 6655,,000000 pprroocceessssoorrss..


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TThhee qquueessttiioonn:: HHoowwddoo yyoouu pprrooggrraamm aassuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr?? wwiillll hhaavvee aa ddiiffffeerreenntt aannsswweerr iinn 11997700

aanndd 11999900.. IInn 11997700,, tthhee ccoommppuutteerr wweeaatthheerr ffoorreeccaasstt wwaasseexxeeccuutteedd oonn aa oonnee--pprroocceessssoorr ssuuppeerrccoommppuutteerr.. TTooddaayy,,tthhee EEaarrtthhss aattmmoosspphheerree iiss ddiivviiddeedd aanndd rree--ddiissttrriibbuutteeddttoo tthhoouussaannddss ooffpprroocceessssoorrss..

The Answer Has Changed


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TThhee aabboovvee tteelleettyyppee mmooddeell 3333 kkeeyybbooaarrdd aanndd ppuunncchh ttaappeetteerrmmiinnaall wwaass tthhee ffiirrsstt ccoommppuutteerr tthhaatt EEmmeeaaggwwaallii

pprrooggrraammmmeedd iinn 11997744.. IItt wwaass iinnvveenntteedd iinn 11996622 bbuutt uusseeddtthhrruu tthhee 11997700ss aass iinnppuutt aanndd oouuttppuutt ddeevviicceess ffoorrmmaaiinnffrraammee ccoommppuutteerrss..

The Answer Has Changed


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The Answer Has ChangedEmeagwali took his first computer programmingcourse in 1974 at Western Oregon University (Photo:Philip Emeagwali March 28 1974)


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Philip Emeagwali, March 28, 1974)

The Universal Timeline of ComputingTimeline of Computing469 B.C. The oldest computing equipment, theAb i d i Chi


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Abacus, invented in China.

An Abacus computing equipment

200 B.C. Thewater clockinvented in the NileValley of Africa. This technology inspired thedevelopment of early computers.

100 A.D. Mathematician Heron describes the first

sequence control, a technique that made it possibleto predict an output for a given input which, in turn,

The Universal Timeline of Computinglaid the foundation for computer programming or theprediction of an output for a given input.


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476 A.D. The number zero introduced by Indianmathematician Aryabhatta. The Internet and a

supercomputer only understand two numbers: 0 and1.

800 A.D. Muhammed idn Musa Al-Khwarizmipublishes his influential bookAl-jabr wa'l

muqabalah. The words Al-Khwarizmi and Al-jabrwa'l were corrupted to algorithm and algebra,respectively.

1398 The word "compotystes" is coined by the

writer Trevisa to describe a person that calculatestime. It corrupted to computer.

1621 The second oldest computing equipment, theslide rule, is invented.

The Universal Timeline of Computing


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1922 Lewis Richardson wrote that 64,000computers would be needed to race the weather forthe whole globe. In 1975, Emeagwali theorized the

latter as an interconnected HyperBall

The Universal Timeline of Computingsupercomputer, which is roughly equivalent to theInternet, but implemented it as a hypercube in 1987.


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1946 The supercomputer was invented as a singleelectronic computer.

1970s The Internet was invented as a dozeninterconnected supercomputers around the UnitedStates.

1980s The Internet was reinvented as millions ofinterconnected computers around the world.

1990 The supercomputer was reinvented asthousands of interconnected computers.

The Universal Timeline of Computing


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Orations for EmeagwaliOrations for EmeagwaliA Commencement Oration


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Son of Africa,supercomputer pioneer,

a visionary father of the Internet,we honor you.

We heed Kwame Nkrumahs warning that,socialism without science is void

in honoring youfor crowning Africawith shining scientific discoveries.Nnamdi Azikiwe said,Originality is the essenceof true scholarship.

Creativity is the soulof the true scholar.You exemplify both.

Your discovery

inspired the reinventionof computers into supercomputers

Orations for Emeagwaliand helped spawn the Internet.You discovered a formulathat enables supercomputers


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powered by 65,000 electronic brainscalled "processors"to perform

the worlds fastest calculations.You theorizedthat 65,000 computers around the Earthcould forecast the weather.This theoretical supercomputer,with 65,000 nodes,is known today as the Internet.

For the audacityof your theorized Internet,the book History of the Internetand CNNcalled youa father of the Internet.

You reformulatedNewtons Second Law of Motionas 18 equations and algorithms;then as 24 million algebraic equations;

Orations for Emeagwaliand finallyyou programmedand executed those equations

6


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on 65,000 processorsat a speed of 3.1 billion calculations per secondto solve one of the twenty

most computation-intensive scientific problems.

Your 65,000 processors,24 million equations

and 3.1 billion calculationswere three world recordsthat garnered international headlines,made mathematicians rejoice,and caused your fellow Africansto beam with pride.

When you wonthe 1989 Gordon Bell prize,the Nobel Prize of Supercomputing,then-president Bill Clinton called you,

one of the great minds of the Information Age.TheNew African magazine readers

Orations for Emeagwaliranked you ashistory's greatest scientistof African descent.


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Mr. Chancellor,

for his groundbreaking discoveriesand for the sheer force of his mind,I ask youto conferthe degree of Doctor of Science,honoris causa,

upon PHILIP EMEAGWALI.

Excerpted from a commencement oration deliveredby a university president in June 2005.

Orations for EmeagwaliClinton Extols Emeagwali as a Great MindExcerpted from a televised speech delivered by BillClinton (as president) on August 26,2000. TheWhit H


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White House

One of the great minds of the Information Age is aNigerian American named Philip Emeagwali. He had

to leave school because his parents couldn't pay thefees. He lived in a refugee camp during your civil war.He won a scholarship to university and went on toinvent a formula that lets computers make 3.1 billioncalculations per second. (Applause.) Some people callhim the Bill Gates of Africa. (Laughter and applause.)

But what I want to say to you is there is another PhilipEmeagwali -- or hundreds of them -- or thousands ofthem -- growing up in Nigeria today. I thought aboutit when I was driving in from the airport and thendriving around to my appointments, looking into the

face of children. You never know what potential is intheir mind and in their heart; what imagination theyhave; what they have already thought of and dreamedof that may be locked in because they don't have themeans to take it out.

That's really what education is. It's our responsibilityto make sure all your children have the chance to live

Orations for Emeagwali

their dreams so that you don't miss the benefit of theircontributions and neither does the rest of the world.It's in our interest in America to reach out to the 98percent of the human race that has never connected to


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percent of the human race that has never connected tothe Internet.

Bill Clinton walking towards the National Assembly of Nigeria

with his daughter, Chelsea, in Abuja, Nigeria August 26, 2000 to

Orations for Emeagwalideliver speech in which he extolled Philip Emeagwali as one ofthe great minds of the Information Age.


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Bill Clinton in Abuja, Nigeria.



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Orations for EmeagwaliIkenga for Philip Emeagwali

By OBU UDEOZO, 14th February, 2002

our landscape is a catwalk of songs;


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p g ;praise singing explodeson every tongue.

trumpets and cymbalsmore sonorous than April thunderescort long drums and flutesin their intoxicated tunes.

our native landis a glow with melodies

nno, aka ikengaelephants float

on your right thumbto compel the spotlight upon us;truth crackedafter your tessellated modelstore the digital divide:their fresh Ayatollah of malice;truth cracked,when your chicken over oxen theory

Orations for Emeagwalidefied the deified Seymour Crayto deliver the crown of scienceupon the African Sun


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this hemisphereis a Christmas of trumpets

our laughter season.

God who plantedthe onyx stone of Gadwithin us,

is redeeming that pledgeof our sunrise.

II.

our folks

are summonedacross the four windsfor a steaming fiestaover Chineke's smile upon us;

so,aka Ikenga

Orations for Emeagwaliastride the surrealist oche ekwumay courtiers rain you comfortwith peacock feathers.


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our fatherlandis drunk with songs.

what Psalmsshall we engineerfor him whobeyond seven seas and seven terrains

captured the daybreak of foreign gods.

your Papacy in scienceradiates in alien tongues.

what algorithmsof dance stepsshall unravelthis immanence of our race?

Philip Emeagwali,your Madison Square Garden feat

Orations for Emeagwaliover fractious fraternityat the hot horizons of knowledge

redeemed the millennial eclipse


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redeemed the millennial eclipseof our ravaged soul.

III.

your connection machine,and honey-combed logicin massive parallelismawoke drybonesour God's giftwhich vindicates Nwagu Anekethat the children of Cushshall outshine the first born;

but they slappedconspiracy across your paths,padlocks and platinum gatessaluted your dreams.

yet your Chilit your anointed breath


for the Onitsha pilgrimwhose pocket betrayedeven at home


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to pluck the gold medalof the computer age;

a tale Bill Clintonsprayed to a world agape;a sugared tale in our innocent ears

your trainloads of prizesand caravan of honoursacross the globea dizzying statisticthat at last,God has poured

His Sovereign Spiritupon all flesh.

our current godlike modeof fecundity and genius

across the globeis God's incomprehensible equity

Orations for Emeagwaliupon all mankind;whether Black or Yellow or Blue

Philip Emeagwali,


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Philip Emeagwali,aka Ikengaastride the surrealist oche ekwu

may courtiers slake your thirstwith divine wine.

mythic kingof our bloodline

we polish our music with lighteningand erect anthemssky highat our Maker's altar for a wonder childand proofthat the lamb and leopard

shall chew divine grassin Mount Zionat the appointed feastof ourChrist and Redeemer King.

- Amen -

Orations for EmeagwaliOBU UDEOZO is a professional painter, poet andclinical psychologist. He lives in Jos, Nigeria.


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The ikenga statue is found in sacred shrines of theIgbo-speaking people of southeastern Nigeria. The

Orations for Emeagwaliikenga is believed to possess a protective spirit andprovides success and achievement. The word "ikenga"translates to "man's life force" or "place of strength."


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Emeagwali Had An Idea

By Wina Marche @2002

Dr. Emeagwali had an idea.to him it was very clear

that bees planned and constructedhoneycombs that can't be obstructedby inefficiency. So, he thoughta computer made that way oughtto be powerful, efficient, fast.It was and better that the past!

His 65,000 processors fit a design,you might say, that bees would divine.3.1 Billions per second calculations!To the Doctor citations and acclamations!His world's fastest computer nowpredicts the weather's when, and how.

Orations for EmeagwaliWe'll know of future global warmingand when and where the earth is storming

Dr. Philip, how does he do this?


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pWouldn't it be intellectual blissto have a similar needed skill

and be the first person to filla world wide technological need!Father helped Dr. Philip to succeed.Father's decision when Philip was agenine was worthy of a genius or sage.

His decision- Philip would every daysolve 100 math problems - no work, no play.Today Philip believes the daily drillsincreased his mediocre math skills.We should salute his father's decision

that shaped a mind for creative precision.Father Emeagwali was a visionarywho understood the "necessary".

1989, for Philip was t

Documents

Emeagali the Great Scientist