The computable numbers may be described briefly as the real numbers whose expressions as a decimal are calculable by finite means. In 1992, when vintage uk published a new british paperback edition, i had the opportunity to include a short updating preface. The enigma 1983 is a biography of the british mathematician, codebreaker, and early computer scientist, alan turing 19121954 by andrew hodges. Thanks to the movie the imitation game, alan turing has emerged from historys shadows, where his memory had languished for decades. Turings rehabilitation from over a quartercenturys embarrassed silence was largely the result of andrew hodgess superb biography, alan turing. Hodges tells how turing s revolutionary idea of 1936 the concept of a universal machine laid the foundation for the modern puter. Correspondence includes letters from turing to his mother, letters to and from colleagues about mathematical problems. How alan turing cracked the enigma code imperial war museums. Born in london in 1912, he studied at both cambridge and princeton universities. The official book behind the academy awardwinning film the imitation game, starring benedict cumberbatch and keira knightley alan turing was the mathematician whose ciphercracking transformed the second world war. In 1918 a german engineer named arthur scherbius patented the enigma machine. Learn how this eccentric oddity changed the world and did it almost entirely in secret. Otherwise, youre right that the bombe would test possible enigma settings until it found settings that produced the expected word and then stop, but it wasnt a turing machine.
He did not only cracked the enigma, but the nature of computation beyond tangible hardware computers. Ho realizzato questo video come presentazione della mia tesina di. In late 1940 alan turing wrote a report describing the methods he and his colleagues at bletchley park had used to break into the german enigma cipher systems. He hacked computation and wrote the very first computer code to emulate anything else in particular other programs at the very heart of the i. Taken on by british intelligence in 1938, as a shy young. This is both a biography of alan turing and an alternative history of ww2 and it handles both brilliantly. On june 23, 1912, ethel sara stoney, daughter of the chief engineer at madras railways, gave birth to alan turing in paddington, london. The enigma was published in the uk and the us in 1983.
A copy of this handbook was at last released from secrecy by the american national security agency in april 1996, under the title turings. A brief panic over running out of things to read led me to poll my twitter followers for suggestions, andrew hodges biography of alan turing, alan turing. Uno dei piu grandi geni del ventesimo secolo, questo e stato alan turing. Alan turing s wartime life was spent mainly in the huts erected in the grounds of bletchley park, where the technical work of codebreaking was done. The book that inspired the film the imitation game. With benedict cumberbatch, keira knightley, matthew goode, allen leech. Alan mathisonturning and the enigma machine a talk for the astronomical society of harringey by michael morris franks 2. He was already working parttime for the british governments code and cypher school before the second world war broke out. Alan turing was the extraordinary cambridge mathematician who masterminded the cracking of the german enigma ciphers and transformed the second world war. Its a contentious question, says andrew hodges, author of the acclaimed biography alan turing.
A challenging graded reader about alan turing and his intelligence work during world war ii, for english language students. During world war ii, the english mathematical genius alan turing tries to crack the german enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians. But his vision went far beyond this crucial achievement. A new york times bestseller the official book behind the academy awardwinning film the imitation game, starring benedic. Alan turing and the enigma team codebreakers created an environment of diversity and inclusion that enabled them to become the highestperforming, culturally diverse team of the 20th century. The enigma the book that inspired the film the imitation game updated edition by andrew hodges available from rakuten kobo. Turing is most famous for his cryptanalysis work at bletchley park during the second world war. What the imitation game didnt tell you about turings. Hut eight, where alan turing worked on the naval enigma, is in the centre of the picture.
The enigma, is the indispensable guide to turings life and work and one of the finest biographies of a scientific genius ever written. A gripping story of mathematics, science, puting, war history, cryptography, and homosexual persecution and liberation. Alan turings influence will appear again in other articles on this site, beginning with this piece. Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of algorithm and computation with the turing machine, which can be. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. During world war ii, turing worked for the government code and cypher school at bletchley park, britains codebreaking centre, where he was responsible for breaking german naval codes, including the supposedly unbreakable enigma code, and more alan turing was one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century. The american 2014 film the imitation game is loosely based on the book, with dramatization. This added some material and some new perspectives which had emerged in the 1980s. Hodges examined available primary sources and interviewed surviving witnesses to elucidate turings multiple dimensions. His breaking of the german uboat enigma cipher in world war ii. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading alan turing. The book that inspired the film the imitation game updated edition kindle edition by hodges, andrew, hofstadter, douglas, hodges, andrew. Advanced english reading alan turing and the enigma machine. Alan turings world war ii headquarters will once again house codebreakers.
The enigma, both british and american, appeared in 2014 the new british edition is from vintage, random house, london, and the new american edition is from princeton university press these new editions are virtually identical with a new 2014 preface, and a foreword by douglas hofstadter. Its only a slight exaggeration to say that the british mathematician alan turing 19121954 saved the allies from the nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decadesall before his suicide at age pdf fortyone. Listed as one of the essential 50 books of all time in the guardian. Although the subject of this paper is ostensibly the computable numbers. If you read the book you will realise that the film distorts aspects of turings live and work quite considerably. The book could be simpler and could meet the need of a great biography. The enigma of alan turing central intelligence agency. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the british mathematician alan turing 19121954 saved the allies from the nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decadesall. If one has seen the movie and liked it, one is going to love this too. Both turings cracking of the enigma code and his prosecution of gross indecency are mis portrayed in the film. Part of a free online collection of advanced level graded reading texts and stories for adult english learners and older teens.
Alan turing quotes showing of 63 for him, breaking the enigma was much easier than the problem of dealing with other people, especially with those holding. Hofstadter, david leavitt, charles petzold, rebecca goldstein, f. On computable numbers, with an application to the entscheidungsproblem by a. Alan turingan english mathematician, logician, and cryptanalystwas a computer pioneer. Alan turing an english mathematician, logician, and cryptanalystwas a computer pioneer. The official book behind the academy awardwinning film the imitation game, starring benedict cumberbatch and keira knightley. Alan turings legacy lives on his visions changed how humanity conceives of computation, information and pattern and 100 years after his birthday, and 58 years after his tragic death, turings. Often remembered for his contributions to the fields of artificial intelligence and modern computer science before either even existed, turing is probably best known for what is now dubbed the turing test. Alan turing, in full alan mathison turing, born june 23, 1912, london, englanddied june 7, 1954, wilmslow, cheshire, british mathematician and logician, who made major contributions to mathematics, cryptanalysis, logic, philosophy, and mathematical biology and also to the new areas later named computer science, cognitive science. Alan turing 191254 was a british mathematician who made history. It appeared in in september 2000 in a special edition of british heritage magazine.
539 1052 416 923 1174 1513 400 647 1124 122 334 121 466 921 232 196 45 918 1205 934 1041 1199 1166 189 287 1498 158 34 960 406 464 1442 269 1434 117 959 547