Algorithmic Resilience Under Resource Constraints: The Novosibirsk School and the Method of Fractional Steps (1955–1975)

This article examines the development of operator splitting methods in Soviet numericalanalysis during 1955–1975, with particular focus on N.N. Yanenko’s formalization of theMethod of Fractional Steps at the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Whilesimilar techniques were independently developed in the West (Peaceman-Rachford 1955,Douglas-Rachford 1956), the Soviet school pursued a distinct trajectory shaped by acutehardware constraints and deep epistemological commitments to operator theory. Throughanalysis of technical publications, archival materials, and comparative historiography, thisstudy argues that material scarcity catalyzed a systematic research program emphasizingcomputational economy, while a pre-existing mathematical culture valorizing theoreticalelegance reinforced this trajectory. The case illuminates how geopolitical constraints andintellectual traditions jointly shaped algorithmic innovation, contributing to methods thatironically became foundational for modern massively parallel computing. Significant archivalgaps limit definitive claims about industrial applications, highlighting the need for furtherprimary source research