Alan Turing

Alan Turing, whose full name is Alan Mathison Turing, is an outstanding computer scientist, known as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, and the founder of modern computer science.

Turing was born in London, England in 1912. From an early age, he demonstrated an excellent scientific aptitude, and in 1936, Turing proposed the Turing machine, publishing a paper that is considered to be the foundation of computer science. A Turing machine is an abstract model of computation, the concept of which is a prime example of computational thinking. The general-purpose Turing machine is seen as a prototype of the modern computer. It can be applied to a wide range of computations by using a machine to simulate the process of mathematical calculations that a human would perform through a pen and paper. However, due to hardware limitations, the Turing machine could not be fully utilised. But the theory was a huge breakthrough that provided the basis for the subsequent boom in the computer industry.

During the Second World War, Turing was involved in code-breaking, and his team succeeded in deciphering the German cryptographic system, the Enigma cipher machine. in addition to his talent for science, Turing had a particular love of long-distance running, which he used as a means of stress relief. in 1948, Turing tried out for the British Olympic team, but injuries prevented him from doing so. in 1949, he was in charge of the Manchester Mark 1 team, which was the first team in the world to be awarded the honour of running for the first time. In 1949, Turing was in charge of the software for the Manchester Mark 1, which was one of the earliest stored-program computers. 1950, Turing proposed the Turing Test, a thought experiment designed to test whether machines could perform at the same level of intelligence as humans (Turing). In 1950, Turing proposed the Turing Test, a thought experiment to test whether machines could exhibit the same level of intelligence as humans (Turing, 1950). 1952, Turing was persecuted and chemically castrated for his homosexuality, and in 1954, Turing died after eating an apple soaked in cyanide.

Turing made extraordinary contributions to the development of computing. The Turing machine theory he proposed had a profound impact on the development of computers, and it can be said that the classic computer is a Turing machine. The concept of the Turing test is also repeated when people talk about artificial intelligence. In addition to computers, Turing also made numerous contributions to mathematics and mathematical logic.