ALAN TURNING A COMPUTER SCIENCE PIONEER BY: JOURDAN D. BEVERLY

EARLY LIFE Born June by Julius Mathison and Ethel Sara Turing in Maida Vale, London England Youngest of two children: Brother John F. Turing Attended Sherborne School at the age of 13 Enrolled at King’s College (University of Cambridge) from 1931 to 1934

WORKS Wrote at dissertation that proved the central limit theorem (CLT) CLT states that, given certain conditions, the arithmetic mean of a sufficiently large number of iterates of independent random variables, each with a well defined expected value and well-defined variance, will be approximately normally distributed, regardless of the underlying distribution paper “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungs problem” Presented the notion of a universal machine (Universal Turing Machine) Capable of computing anything that is computable

WORKS (CONT’D) Studied mathematics and cryptology at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ for 2 years Received a Ph. D from Princeton 1938 Took a part-time job with Government Code and Cypher School Worked as a German code-breaker during WW2 Made five major advancements in cryptanalysis (the study of analyzing information systems in order to study the hidden aspects of the systems.) Ex. Specifying the bombe, an electromechanical device used to help decipher German Enigma encrypted signals Wrote two papers on mathematical approaches to code-breaking; important assets to CCS.

German Enigma Machine Turing Machine 1936

Turing’s Bombe Machine

WORKS (CONT’D) Worked for National Physical Laboratory in 1940’s Designed the Automatic Computing Engine (blueprint for store-program computers) Concept model for the English Electric DEUCE and the American Bendix G-15 (some of the world’s first personal computers) Wrote a paper in 1950 that addressed A.I. called “Computing machinery and intelligence” (1949 Manchester University) “Turing Test” experiment-a test of a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human.

Automatic Computing Engine Turing test experiment

English DEUCE American Bendix G-15

LATER IN LIFE; DEATH Arrested for Homosexuality in 1952 Condemned to chemical castration Died June 7, 1954

AWARDS Order of the British Empire English Heritage (plaque) Life-size statue at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire, England Another statue at the University of Surrey Named the second most significant alumnus in the history of Princeton University Time magazine named him “100 Most Important People of the 20 th century.” Ranked one of “100 Greatest Britons” in 2002

WORKS CITIED