Alan Turing
In 1940, as World War II raged in Europe, a twenty-eight-year-old British mathematician named Alan Turing quietly worked to unravel the mystery of the German Enigma cipher. Turing's success in breaking Enigma gave the Allies unprecedented access to Nazi secrets and helped influence the outcome of the war. In the years that followed, Turing joined the race to build the world's first electronic, programmable computers. Alan Turing is widely recognized today as the father of computer science.\...
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In 1940, as World War II raged in Europe, a twenty-eight-year-old British mathematician named Alan Turing quietly worked to unravel the mystery of the German Enigma cipher. Turing's success in breaking Enigma gave the Allies unprecedented access to Nazi secrets and helped influence the outcome of the war. In the years that followed, Turing joined the race to build the world's first electronic, programmable computers. Alan Turing is widely recognized today as the father of computer science.Mathematician, codebreaker, computer scientist, philosopher, and biologist-Alan Turing was all of these. Yet the extraordinary feats stand in sharp contrast to the shy, hesitant person who accomplished them. His untimely death in 1954 went largely unnoticed around the world. Only later would Alan Turing's groundbreaking contributions to math and science be fully appreciated. Children's Literature Is it possible that one man can change the course of history through mathematics? Alan Turing did just that during World War II. When he cracked the Nazi Engima code, he gave the Allies an advantage that helped win the war. This remarkable man was born in England and, despite his parents' wishes that he pursue law or literature, became obsessed with mathematics. After he cracked one of the most complex codes ever created, he became involved with developing computers. He developed what is now called the Turing Test, which challenges the makers of computers to create a machine whose responses are indistinguishable from humans. Despite all his accomplishments, Turing could not, in the end, overcome prejudice. His homosexuality resulted in his being arrested and put on trial. While his contributions to society kept him out of jail, his reputation was forever marred and he lost his clearance, a huge blow to the person who contributed so much to his country. He died under mysterious circumstances that some believe to be suicide, others an accident. Even though his life ended unhappily, Turing's achievements live on. Corrigan's biography is a well-written and engaging account of Turing's life and includes resources such as a timeline. From the "Profiles in Mathematics" series. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck
Introduction 10Early Discoveries 13Universal Turing Machine 24Unraveling the Enigma 37Beyond Bletchley Park 51Building a Brain 61Mathematical Biology 74Poison Apple 85Alan Turing's Legacy 95Timeline 105Sources 107Bibliography 109Web sites 110Index 111
\ Children's Literature - Amie Rose Rotruck\ Is it possible that one man can change the course of history through mathematics? Alan Turing did just that during World War II. When he cracked the Nazi Engima code, he gave the Allies an advantage that helped win the war. This remarkable man was born in England and, despite his parents' wishes that he pursue law or literature, became obsessed with mathematics. After he cracked one of the most complex codes ever created, he became involved with developing computers. He developed what is now called the Turing Test, which challenges the makers of computers to create a machine whose responses are indistinguishable from humans. Despite all his accomplishments, Turing could not, in the end, overcome prejudice. His homosexuality resulted in his being arrested and put on trial. While his contributions to society kept him out of jail, his reputation was forever marred and he lost his clearance, a huge blow to the person who contributed so much to his country. He died under mysterious circumstances that some believe to be suicide, others an accident. Even though his life ended unhappily, Turing's achievements live on. Corrigan's biography is a well-written and engaging account of Turing's life and includes resources such as a timeline. From the "Profiles in Mathematics" series. Reviewer: Amie Rose Rotruck\ \ \ \ \ School Library JournalGr 8 Up\ British mathematician Turing (1912-1954) contributed much to what we now call artificial intelligence and computer science. He worked during World War II as a code breaker and used his skills to solve complex German codes, especially the Enigma cipher. But his life was one of difficulty and challenges that often made it hard for him to work effectively. Sometimes his incredible shyness came across as aloofness. A homosexual relationship in 1952 caused him legal woes. It was against the law, and he pled guilty to gross indecency. He was sentenced to a year of probation and hormonal drug therapy. On June 7, 1954, Turing was found dead in his apartment. His death was ruled a suicide, although his mother claimed it was an accident. It occurred during a far more positive time in the man's life and remains controversial. Although this book is filled with many of the technical aspects of mathematics, it is also a story of one man's brilliance and passion. This well-written biography, complete with good-quality photos, gives insight into a man most readers know little about.-Karen Scott, Valley Intermediate School, Pelham, AL\ \ \
