Contributions to Digital Computing of Alan Turring Alan Turing was a dedicated mathematician who devoted his lives works to developing computer knowledge, as we know it today. Alan was born in London, England on June 23, 1912. Alan soon began to attend a local school and his interest in the science fields arose. His teachers an others would try and make him concentrate on other fields such as History an English but his craving for knowledge of mathematics drove him the opposite way. Turing’s prosperous career in math started at King's College, Cambridge University in 1931. After graduation Alan moved on to Princeton University and that is where he explored his idea of a multi propose computer that used one’s and zero’s to describe the steps that needed to be done to solve a particular problem. His machine was later named the “Turning Machine”, which would read each of the steps and perform them in sequence, resulting in the proper answer. Turing had a vision of a computer that could do more than just a few tasks. Turing believed that an algorithm, which is a procedure for solving a mathematical problem in a finite number of steps that frequently involves repetition of an operation, or a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing an answer used by a computer. The hard part was finding what the little steps were a how to break down the larger problems. During World War II, Turing used his mathematical skills in the Department of Communications in Britain to decipher German codes. The Germans were using a type of computer called the “Enigma” which was able to generate a constantly changing code that was impossible for the code breakers to decipher in a timely fashion. During this time Turing and h... ... middle of paper ... ... why does a living thing take its shape? He concluded in saying “Instead of asking why a certain arrangement of leaves is especially advantageous to a plant, he tried to show that it was a natural consequence of the process by which the leaves are produced." He saw this as just another algorithm, or simple set of steps. In the beginning of June, 1954 Alan Mathison Turing died from a "self-administered potassium cyanide while in a moment of mental imbalance." Some say that he was homosexual and ended his life in fear of embarrassment but nevertheless Turing was a dedicated man who work towards a goal of Developing further knowledge of digital computer, much like the kind that I am typing on right now an is correcting my grammar an spelling mistakes as I go along. Turing was not much far from his idea that we would have intelligent machines by the year 2000.
During the Pacific portion of World War II, increasingly frequent instances of broken codes plagued the United States Marine Corps. Because the Japanese had become adept code breakers, at one point a code based on a mathematical algorithm could not be considered secure for more than 24 hours. Desperate for an answer to the apparent problem, the Marines decided to implement a non-mathematical code; they turned to Philip Johnston's concept of using a coded Navajo language for transmissions.
It was then that he began to explore the patterns of nature by arranging its building blocks in unexpected ways. These farm experiences provided him with direct encounters and knowledge related to working the land.
Since the scientific revolution it has become easier and easier for us to use mathematics and science to decode the environment around us, which to some means a mastery of that environment. In his Discourse on Method, Rene Descartes even refers to us as the “masters and possessors of nature” as we can understand and control many aspects of it (Descartes, 41). Andy Goldsworthy comments on this through his use of nature in the creation of the piece. Although it shows how easily humans can manipulate nature, even something as small as leaves, to create what they want, the effect is temporary. Being that the piece is temporary… doomed to be dismantled by the very nature it is made from, the idea of nature’s supremacy is still preserved. Nature will always return to its own course and eventually no remanence of human intervention will remain. Thus while humans do have this power to manipulate and work with nature, it still remains its own master. This exemplifies a relationship between humans and nature where Goldsworthy recognizes the power of humans as well as the power of nature working simultaneously. Furthermore, Sycamore Leaves also comments on important aspects of nature
The Turing test was a test that allows humans to evaluate the question “can machines think?” Turing evaluates that one should not ask if machines can think, but conduct an experiment which can prove that it can think. In order to answer this question, Turing created
These projects come to live in the Research division at IBM. In 2005 Paul Horn, director of the division wanted to try to create a machine able to pass the Turing Test. No machine had done it. But researchers didn’t believe that it would get the public’s attention in the way that Deep Blue had. Horn thought of another game where it would...
One of the hottest topics that modern science has been focusing on for a long time is the field of artificial intelligence, the study of intelligence in machines or, according to Minsky, “the science of making machines do things that would require intelligence if done by men”.(qtd in Copeland 1). Artificial Intelligence has a lot of applications and is used in many areas. “We often don’t notice it but AI is all around us. It is present in computer games, in the cruise control in our cars and the servers that route our email.” (BBC 1). Different goals have been set for the science of Artificial Intelligence, but according to Whitby the most mentioned idea about the goal of AI is provided by the Turing Test. This test is also called the imitation game, since it is basically a game in which a computer imitates a conversating human. In an analysis of the Turing Test I will focus on its features, its historical background and the evaluation of its validity and importance.
The history of computers is an amazing story filled with interesting statistics. “The first computer was invented by a man named Konrad Zuse. He was a German construction engineer, and he used the machine mainly for mathematic calculations and repetition” (Bellis, Inventors of Modern Computer). The invention shocked the world; it inspired people to start the development of computers. Soon after,
His efforts went unacknowledged; his invention of the computer wasn’t celebrated until someone else took credit for it; he never got the respect he deserved. The Imitation game is basically an arena of social conflict as well as social change when looking at sexuality, deviance, even gender. Just remember this movie was based on a true story. Alan Turing is a war hero that saved lives, simply due to the fact that the British government thought it was morally wrong that a man could ever love another man he died. Rest in peace, Mr. Turing who shall forever be celebrated. The movie was heart moving. Undeniably the best feature film I have seen that depicts the biography of Alan Turing perfectly, though this is just a matter of
Turing produced some noteworthy achievements leading up to his involvement in World War II. Born June 23, 1912, Alan Mathison Turing was recognized by his preliminary and secondary school teachers for having a natural talent in the subjects of mathematics and science, while having mediocre talents in the non-sciences. In 1931, inspired by the death of a childhood friend who also had exemplary skills in the sciences, he decided to receive his undergraduate studies in Mathematics at the University of Cambridge's King's College, UK(Dyson, 459). In 1935, he became a fellow of King's University after completing a dissertation on the Central Limit Theorem which showcased his mathematical genius(Dyson, 459). That same year, his interest in solving David Hilbert's "decision problem" led to his paper, "On computable numbers, with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem."
Although the majority of people cannot imagine life without computers, they owe their gratitude toward an algorithm machine developed seventy to eighty years ago. Although the enormous size and primitive form of the object might appear completely unrelated to modern technology, its importance cannot be over-stated. Not only did the Turing Machine help the Allies win World War II, but it also laid the foundation for all computers that are in use today. The machine also helped its creator, Alan Turing, to design more advanced devices that still cause discussion and controversy today. The Turing Machine serves as a testament to the ingenuity of its creator, the potential of technology, and the glory of innovation.
...ere are gears used to select which numbers you want. Though Charles Babbage will always be credited with making the first “true” computer, and Bill Gates with popularizing it, Blaise Pascal will always have a place among the first true innovator of the computer. There is even a programming language called Pascal or Object Pascal which is an early computer program.
Computer engineering started about 5,000 years ago in China when they invented the abacus. The abacus is a manual calculator in which you move beads back and forth on rods to add or subtract. Other inventors of simple computers include Blaise Pascal who came up with the arithmetic machine for his father’s work. Also Charles Babbage produced the Analytical Engine, which combined math calculations from one problem and applied it to solve other complex problems. The Analytical Engine is similar to today’s computers.
"programming" rules that the user must memorize, all ordinary arithmetic operations can be performed (Soma, 14). The next innovation in computers took place in 1694 when Blaise Pascal invented the first “digital calculating machine”. It could only add numbers and they had to be entered by turning dials. It was designed to help Pascal’s father who
The history of the computer dates back all the way to the prehistoric times. The first step towards the development of the computer, the abacus, was developed in Babylonia in 500 B.C. and functioned as a simple counting tool. It was not until thousands of years later that the first calculator was produced. In 1623, the first mechanical calculator was invented by Wilhelm Schikard, the “Calculating Clock,” as it was often referred to as, “performed it’s operations by wheels, which worked similar to a car’s odometer” (Evolution, 1). Still, there had not yet been anything invented that could even be characterized as a computer. Finally, in 1625 the slide rule was created becoming “the first analog computer of the modern ages” (Evolution, 1). One of the biggest breakthroughs came from by Blaise Pascal in 1642, who invented a mechanical calculator whose main function was adding and subtracting numbers. Years later, Gottfried Leibnez improved Pascal’s model by allowing it to also perform such operations as multiplying, dividing, taking the square root.
The fist computer, known as the abacus, was made of wood and parallel wires on which beads were strung. Arithmetic operations were performed when the beads were moved along the wire according to “programming” rules that had to be memorized by the user (Soma, 14). The second earliest computer, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1694, was a “digital calculating machine.” Pascal designed this first known digital computer to help his father, who was a tax collector. Pascal’s computer could only add numbers, and they had to be entered by turning dials (Soma, 32). It required a manual process like its ancestor, the abacus. Automation was introduced in the early 1800’s by a mathematics professor named Charles Babbage. He created an automatic calculation machine that was steam powered and stored up to 1000 50-digit numbers. Unlike its two earliest ancestors, Babbage’s invention was able to perform various operations. It relied on cards with holes punched in them, which are called “punch cards.” These cards carried out the programming and storing operations for the machine. Unluckily, Babbage’s creation flopped due to the lack of mechanical precision and the lack of demand for the product (Soma, 46). The machine could not operate efficiently because technology was t adequate to make the machine operate efficiently Computer interest dwindled for many years, and it wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that people became interested in them once again.