Aleksandr Semenovich Kronrod was a Soviet mathematician and computer scientist, best known for the Gauss-Kronrod quadrature formula which he published in 1964. Earlier, he worked on computational solutions of problems emerging in theoretical physics. He is also known for his contributions to economics, specifically for proposing corrections and calculating price formation for the USSR. Later, Kronrod gave his fortune and life to medicine to care for terminal cancer patients. Kronrod is remembered for his captivating personality and was admired as a student, teacher and leader.
He is the author of several well known books, including "Nodes and weights of quadrature formulas. Sixteen-place tables" and "Conversations on Programming". A biographer wrote Kronrod gave ideas "away left and right, quite honestly being convinced that the authorship belongs to the one who implements them." Wikipedia
“An idea is nothing, its implementation everything.”
Attributed to Kronrod in: Landis, E. M., Yaglom, I. M., Remembering AS Kronrod, The Mathematical Intelligencer 24.1 (2002) p. 22-30
“Chess is the Drosophila of artificial intelligence.”
Attributed to Kronrod in: Ronald Chrisley, Sander Begeer (2000). Artificial Intelligence: Critical Concepts. p. 520
