Turing's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science
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Document Type
Book
Description/Summary
Book description: In 1936, when he was just twenty-four years old, Alan Turing wrote a remarkable paper in which he outlined the theory of computation, laying out the ideas that underlie all modern computers. This groundbreaking and powerful theory now forms the basis of computer science. In Turing’s Vision, Chris Bernhardt explains the theory, Turing’s most important contribution, for the general reader. Bernhardt argues that the strength of Turing’s theory is its simplicity, and that, explained in a straightforward manner, it is eminently understandable by the nonspecialist. As Marvin Minsky writes, “The sheer simplicity of the theory’s foundation and extraordinary short path from this foundation to its logical and surprising conclusions give the theory a mathematical beauty that alone guarantees it a permanent place in computer theory.” Bernhardt begins with the foundation and systematically builds to the surprising conclusions. He also views Turing’s theory in the context of mathematical history, other views of computation (including those of Alonzo Church), Turing’s later work, and the birth of the modern computer. --Publisher description
ISBN
9780262034548
Publication Date
2016
Publication Information
Bernhardt, Chris. Turing's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2016.
Recommended Citation
Bernhardt, Christopher R., "Turing's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science" (2016). Mathematics Faculty Book Gallery. 3.
https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/mathandcomputerscience-books/3
Comments
Copyright 2016 MIT Press