The legendary programming personality Charles Petzold reveals the secrets of the exceptional and predictive 1936 work by Alan M. Turing. Mathematician Alan Turing invented an imaginary computer known as the Turing machine. In an era before computers, he explored the concept of what it means to be computational, creating the field of computability theory, the foundation of modern programming practice. The book expands Turing's original 36-page work with additional background chapters and extensive notes. The author analyzes and clarifies many of Turing's statements, making the original difficult-to-read document accessible to modern programmers, computer science students, mathematicians, and other interested parties. The narrative includes significant highlights from Turing's life: his years at Cambridge and Princeton, his secret work in cryptanalysis during World War II, his involvement in pivotal computing projects, his thoughts on artificial intelligence, his arrest and prosecution for "indecency," and his untimely death from possible suicide at the age of 41.

Pages: 384, Year of Publication: 0530, Dimensions: 15.2x15.2cm