What are some interesting facts about Alan Turing?
Alan Turing | 10 Facts On The Man Who Broke The Enigma
- #1 His father worked for the Indian Civil Service. Alan Turing was born in Maida Vale, London on June 23, 1912. ...
- #2 He showed early signs of his genius. ...
- #5 He was known for his eccentricities. ...
- #7 British PM apologized for treating Turing unfairly during his time. ...
- #9 The Apple logo is not related to Turing though Jobs wished it was. ...
Where did Alan Turing go to school?
When Turing attended the well-known independent Sherborne School at the age of 13, he became particularly interested in math and science. After Sherborne, Turing enrolled at King's College (University of Cambridge) in Cambridge, England, studying there from 1931 to 1934.
What was Alan Turing contribution to mathematics?
Turing’s main contribution to mathematics, however, was his work on computation theory. Presaging the invention of the modern computer, Turing designed an abstract computing device known as the Turing machine — an entirely virtual construct which could perform calculations and follow instructions. What is Alan Turing best known for?
What did Alan Turing study?
What did Alan Turing study at college? Turing attended King’s College, University of Cambridge, in 1931 to study mathematics. In this academic environment, he settled in much better and his years there were highly successful in both his work and social life. Turing took up rowing and became an excellent long distance runner.
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Did Alan Turing go to university?
Princeton University1936–1938King's College, Cambridge1931–1934University of CambridgeAlan Turing/College
What was Alan Turing's PhD in?
In June 1938, he obtained his PhD from the Department of Mathematics at Princeton; his dissertation, Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals, introduced the concept of ordinal logic and the notion of relative computing, in which Turing machines are augmented with so-called oracles, allowing the study of problems that cannot ...
What did Alan Turing do for math?
Turing's main contribution to mathematics, however, was his work on computation theory. Presaging the invention of the modern computer, Turing designed an abstract computing device known as the Turing machine — an entirely virtual construct which could perform calculations and follow instructions.
Who broke Enigma code?
Alan Turing was a brilliant mathematician. Born in London in 1912, he studied at both Cambridge and Princeton universities. He was already working part-time for the British Government's Code and Cypher School before the Second World War broke out.
How many lives did Alan Turing save?
It is estimated that Turing's work shortened the war by two years and saved 14 million lives.
What type of math did Alan Turing study?
Early life and career. The son of a civil servant, Turing was educated at a top private school. He entered the University of Cambridge to study mathematics in 1931. After graduating in 1934, he was elected to a fellowship at King's College (his college since 1931) in recognition of his research in probability theory.
Was Alan Turing a genius?
Alan Turing (1912-1954) was a British mathematical genius, and a founding father of artificial intelligence (AI) and modern cognitive science.
Who is father of computer science?
Babbage is sometimes referred to as "father of computing." The International Charles Babbage Society (later the Charles Babbage Institute) took his name to honor his intellectual contributions and their relation to modern computers.
What was Alan Turing's machine called?
BombeIn March 1940, Turing's first Bombe, a code-breaking machine, was installed at Bletchley Park; improvements suggested by British mathematician Gordon Welchman were incorporated by August. This complex machine consisted of approximately 100 rotating drums, 10 miles of wire, and about 1 million soldered connections.
Was Alan Turing a genius?
Alan Turing (1912-1954) was a British mathematical genius, and a founding father of artificial intelligence (AI) and modern cognitive science.
Did Alan Turing invent the first computer?
“Turing invented computer science and the idea of the computer, and John von Neumann built the first stored-program computer.”
What did Alan Turing invent?
BombeUniversal Turing machineLU decomposi...Automatic Computing EngineBanburism...Alan Turing/Inventions
Where did Alan Turing go to school?
Turing's parents enrolled him at St Michael's, a primary school at 20 Charles Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, from the age of six to nine. The headmistress recognised his talent, noting that she has "...had clever boys and hardworking boys, but Alan is a genius."
How did Alan Turing die?
On 8 June 1954, at his house at 43 Adlington Road, Wilmslow, Turing's housekeeper found him dead. He had died the previous day at the age of 41. Cyanide poisoning was established as the cause of death. When his body was discovered, an apple lay half-eaten beside his bed, and although the apple was not tested for cyanide, it was speculated that this was the means by which Turing had consumed a fatal dose. An inquest determined that he had committed suicide. Andrew Hodges and another biographer, David Leavitt, have both speculated that Turing was re-enacting a scene from the Walt Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), his favourite fairy tale. Both men noted that (in Leavitt's words) he took "an especially keen pleasure in the scene where the Wicked Queen immerses her apple in the poisonous brew". Turing's remains were cremated at Woking Crematorium on 12 June 1954, and his ashes were scattered in the gardens of the crematorium, just as his father's had been.
Why did Turing solve the Enigma problem?
Turing decided to tackle the particularly difficult problem of German naval Enigma "because no one else was doing anything about it and I could have it to myself". In December 1939, Turing solved the essential part of the naval indicator system, which was more complex than the indicator systems used by the other services.
What was Turing's machine called?
Within weeks of arriving at Bletchley Park, Turing had specified an electromechanical machine called the bombe, which could break Enigma more effectively than the Polish bomba kryptologiczna, from which its name was derived. The bombe , with an enhancement suggested by mathematician Gordon Welchman, became one of the primary tools, and the major automated one, used to attack Enigma-enciphered messages.
How did Turing cope with his grief?
The event caused Turing great sorrow. He coped with his grief by working that much harder on the topics of science and mathematics that he had shared with Morcom. In a letter to Morcom's mother, Frances Isobel Morcom (née Swan), Turing wrote:
Why did Turing have a depressed mood?
It has been suggested that Turing's belief in fortune-telling may have caused his depressed mood. As a youth, Turing had been told by a fortune-teller that he would be a genius. In mid-May 1954, shortly before his death, Turing again decided to consult a fortune-teller during a day-trip to St Annes-on-Sea with the Greenbaum family. According to the Greenbaums' daughter, Barbara:
Why was Turing arrested?
Turing was prosecuted in 1952 for homosexual acts; the Labouchere Amendment of 1885 had mandated that "gross indecency" was a criminal offence in the UK. He accepted chemical castration treatment, with DES, as an alternative to prison. Turing died in 1954, 16 days before his 42nd birthday, from cyanide poisoning.
Who Was Alan Turing?
Alan Turing was a brilliant British mathematician who took a leading role in breaking Nazi ciphers during WWII. In his seminal 1936 paper, he proved that there cannot exist any universal algorithmic method of determining truth in mathematics, and that mathematics will always contain undecidable propositions. His work is widely acknowledged as foundational research of computer science and artificial intelligence.
Where did Turing go to school?
After Sherborne, Turing enrolled at King's College (University of Cambridge) in Cambridge, England, studying there from 1931 to 1934.
What was Turing's role in World War II?
During World War II, Turing was a leading participant in wartime code-breaking, particularly that of German ciphers. He worked at Bletchley Park, the GCCS wartime station, where he made five major advances in the field of cryptanalysis, including specifying the bombe, an electromechanical device used to help decipher German Enigma encrypted signals.
What was Turing's paper about?
In 1936, Turing delivered a paper, "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem," in which he presented the notion of a universal machine (later called the “Universal Turing Machine," and then the "Turing machine") capable of computing anything that is computable: It is considered the precursor to the modern computer.
How did Turing die?
Turing died on June 7, 1954. Following a postmortem exam, it was determined that the cause of death was cyanide poisoning. The remains of an apple were found next to the body, though no apple parts were found in his stomach. The autopsy reported that "four ounces of fluid which smelled strongly of bitter almonds, as does a solution of cyanide" was found in the stomach. Trace smell of bitter almonds was also reported in vital organs. The autopsy concluded that the cause of death was asphyxia due to cyanide poisoning and ruled a suicide.
What was Turing's contribution to the code-breaking process?
Turing’s contributions to the code-breaking process didn’t stop there: He also wrote two papers about mathematical approaches to code-breaking, which became such important assets to the Code and Cypher School (later known as the Government Communications Headquarters) that the GCHQ waited until April 2012 to release them to the National Archives of the United Kingdom.
Where was Alan Turing born?
English scientist Alan Turing was born Alan Mathison Turing on June 23, 1912, in Maida Vale, London, England. At a young age, he displayed signs of high intelligence, which some of his teachers recognized, but did not necessarily respect. When Turing attended the well-known independent Sherborne School at the age of 13, he became particularly interested in math and science.
What was Turing's contribution to the Enigma machine?
His contribution lead to the breaking of the German Enigma machine, an achievement that sees him chosen as the next face on the £50 note. Despite his remarkable achievements, as a gay man Turing was prosecuted for gross indecency in 1952, at a time when homosexuality was illegal in the UK.
Who pardoned Turing?
After a long-fought campaign, he was posthumously pardoned by HM The Queen in 2013. Ciprian Tomoiaga, an undergraduate computer science student, tells us why Turing is his University of Manchester heritage hero. YouTube. The University of Manchester.
Who is the father of modern computing?
Alan Turing. Alan Mathison Turing (1912–1954) was a mathematician, computer scientist and codebreaker. Often dubbed ‘the father of modern computing’, Turing was based at The University of Manchester after his work with the British Intelligence Service at Bletchley Park during World War II. His contribution lead to the breaking ...
What is Alan Turing's contribution to computer science?
It gave a fresh approach to the traditional mind-body problem, by relating it to the mathematical concept of computability he himself had introduced in his 1936–7 paper “On computable numbers, with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem.” His work can be regarded as the foundation of computer science and of the artificial intelligence program.
What is Alan Turing's life?
1. Outline of Life. Alan Turing's short and extraordinary life has attracted wide interest. It has inspired his mother's memoir (E. S. Turing 1959), a detailed biography (Hodges 1983), a play and television film (Whitemore 1986), and various other works of fiction and art.
What role did Alan Turing play in the Second World War?
Unwilling or unable to remain within any standard role or department of thought, Alan Turing continued a life full of incongruity. Though a shy, boyish, man, he had a pivotal role in world history through his role in Second World War cryptology.
What was the role of Turing in the Enigma?
Turing made a unique logical contribution to the decryption of the Enigma and became the chief scientific figure, with a particular responsibility for reading the U-boat communications. As such he became a top-level figure in Anglo-American liaison, and also gained exposure to the most advanced electronic technology of the day.
How many bits of storage did Turing use?
Turing uses the finiteness of the nervous system to give an estimate of about 10 9 bits of storage required for a limited simulation of intelligence (Turing 1950b, p. 455). The wit and drama of Turing's ‘imitation game’ has attracted more fame than his careful groundwork.
When did Alan Turing write his first manual?
In 1950, Turing wrote on the first page of his Manual for users of the Manchester University computer (Turing 1950a):
Where did Turing live?
His first true home was at King's College, Cambridge University, noted for its progressive intellectual life centred on J. M. Keynes. Turing studied mathematics with increasing distinction and was elected a Fellow of the college in 1935.
Where did Alan Turing go to college?
In 1938, Alan Turing graduated from Princeton University with a Ph.D. in mathematics. During World War II, he worked for the British Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, where he led an entire division dedicated to German naval cryptanalysis.
Who is Alan Turing?
Alan Mathison Turing was an English mathematician, computer scientist, codebreaker and philosopher known for his Turing Test, an imitation game. He is best known, however, for his 1936 paper on the “Turing Machine,” which defines the conceptual framework of a theoretical device that manipulates symbols according to rules.
How did Turing die?
Historians have different interpretations of how Turing died. Some believe he ingested the cyanide that killed him accidentally. Turing set up a process to dissolve gold with potassium cyanide in his spare room. The autopsy findings suggested that the poison was inhaled, and Turing would often eat an apple before bed which would be discarded half-eaten. Furthermore, Turing is said to have borne his legal setbacks and hormone treatment well “with good humor” up until his death.
What did Turing do at Sherborne?
When Turing attended Sherborne at 13 years old he became especially interested in math and science. After finishing his studies at Sherborne, Turing enrolled in Cambridge to study mathematics and was elected a fellow upon graduation.
What did Turing do with Ashby?
Turing became interested in mathematical biology, and joined with William Ross Ashby to found a mathematical biology research group named ‘ The Ratio Club’, for which Turing proposed his new theory on morphogenesis.
How old was Turing when he started working on the Enigma code?
Turing was extremely intelligent and explained his ideas in a way that everyone could easily understand. By the age of 24 , he started working on cracking the Enigma Code, which turned out to be more difficult than anticipated but by 1939 had broken both the German Naval and Air Force codes.
What is Turing's role in computer science?
Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science, providing a formalization of the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine , which can be considered a model for a general-purpose computer.
What did Alan Turing do?
An English mathematician, logician and cryptographer, Alan Turing was responsible for breaking the Nazi Enigma code during World War II. His work gave the Allies the edge they needed to win the war in Europe, and led to the creation of the computer. On the PBS NewsHour tonight, Jeffrey Brown interviews ...
Who wrote Alan Turing's biography?
Andrew Hodges, a mathematician at the Mathematical Institute at Oxford University, wrote the biography “Alan Turing: The Enigma”, which inspired the film. We spoke with Hodges this week about some things many people don’t know about Turing. 1.
What did Turing see as a child?
Even as a child, Turing saw life through the eyes of a scientist, Hodges said. There is a famous sketch of Turing as a boy “watching the daisies grow” while the other children play field hockey. That sketch would foreshadow Turing’s ground-breaking work in 1952 on morphogenesis, which became a completely new field of mathematical biology. It was a mathematical explanation of how things grow — a great mystery to science, Hodges explained. His work on the subject has been cited more than 8,000 times.
Why did Turing get bad grades?
He got bad grades and frustrated his teachers. Science was a considered a second-class pursuit in English public schools in the 1920s, Hodges said. Turing’s passion for science embarrassed his mother, who had hoped he would study the classics, which was the most acceptable pursuit for gentlemen.
What punishment did Turing receive for homosexuality?
The punishment for homosexuality was chemical castration, a series of hormone injections that left Turing impotent. It also caused gynecomastia, giving him breasts. But Turing refused to let the treatment sway him from his work, keeping up his lively spirit.
How did Turing die?
Homosexuality was still a crime in Great Britain at the time, and Turing was convicted of “indecency.”. He died from eating an apple laced with cyanide. He was only 41 years old. At the time of his death, the public had no idea what he had contributed to the war effort.
When did Einstein develop artificial intelligence?
And he developed a test for artificial intelligence in 1950, which is still used today. But he also studied physics, especially as a young man. He read Einstein’s theory of relativity as a teenager, and immediately filled a notebook with his own thoughts and ideas on the subject.
Overview
Early life and education
Turing was born in Maida Vale, London, while his father, Julius Mathison Turing (1873–1947), was on leave from his position with the Indian Civil Service (ICS) at Chatrapur, then in the Madras Presidency and presently in Odisha state, in India. Turing's father was the son of a clergyman, the Rev. John Robert Turing, from a Scottish family of merchants that had been based in the Netherlands and inclu…
Career and research
When Turing returned to Cambridge, he attended lectures given in 1939 by Ludwig Wittgenstein about the foundations of mathematics. The lectures have been reconstructed verbatim, including interjections from Turing and other students, from students' notes. Turing and Wittgenstein argued and disagreed, with Turing defending formalism and Wittgenstein propounding his view that m…
Personal life
In 1941, Turing proposed marriage to Hut 8 colleague Joan Clarke, a fellow mathematician and cryptanalyst, but their engagement was short-lived. After admitting his homosexuality to his fiancée, who was reportedly "unfazed" by the revelation, Turing decided that he could not go through with the marriage.
In January 1952, Turing was 39 when he started a relationship with Arnold Mur…
Legacy
Turing was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1946. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1951.
Turing has been honoured in various ways in Manchester, the city where he worked towards the end of his life. In 1994, a stretch of the A6010 road (the Manchester city intermediate ring road) was named "Alan Turing Way". A bridg…
Further reading
• Turing, Alan (1950). "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" (PDF). Mind. 49 (236): 433–460. doi:10.1093/mind/LIX.236.433.
• Copeland, B. Jack (ed.). "The Mind and the Computing Machine: Alan Turing and others". The Rutherford Journal.
• Copeland, B. Jack (ed.). "Alan Turing: Father of the Modern Computer". The Rutherford Journal.
External links
• Oral history interview with Nicholas C. Metropolis, Charles Babbage Institute, University of Minnesota. Metropolis was the first director of computing services at Los Alamos National Laboratory; topics include the relationship between Turing and John von Neumann
• How Alan Turing Cracked The Enigma Code Imperial War Museums