Alan M. Turing

About this book

"'In a short life he accomplished much, and to the roll of great names in the history of his particular studies added his own.' So is described one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century, yet Alan Turing's name was not widely recognised until his contribution to the breaking of the German Enigma code became public in the 1970s. The story of Turing's life fascinates and in the years since his suicide, Turing's reputation has only grown, as his contributions to logic, mathematics, computing, artificial intelligence and computational biology have become better appreciated. To commemorate the centenary of Turing's birth, this republication of his mother's biography is enriched by a new foreword by Martin Davis and a never-before-published memoir by Alan's older brother. The contrast between this memoir and the original biography reveals tensions and sheds new light on Turing's relationship with his family, and on the man himself"-- "So is described one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century, yet someone who was barely known beyond mathematical corridors till the revelations in the 1970s. It was then that Alan Turing's critical contributions to the breaking of the German Enigma code, along with the circumstances of his suicide at the height of his powers, became widely known. From the rather odd, precocious, gauche boy through an adolescence in which his mathematical ability began to blossom, to the achievements of his maturity, the story of Turing's life fascinates. In the years since his suicide, Turing's reputation has only grown, as his contributions to …

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