Alan Mathison Turing

Alan Mathison Turing 1912-54, British mathematician and computer theorist. While studying at Cambridge he began work in predicate logic that lead to a proof (1937) that some mathematical problems are not susceptible to solution by automated computation; in arriving at this, he postulated a universal machine, now called a Turing machine , that was the theoretical prototype of the electronic digital computer. After completing a Ph.D. at Princeton Univ. (1938), he returned home to England, where, during World War II, he was instrumental in deciphering German messages encrypted by the Enigma cipher machine. After the war, he helped design computers, first for the British government (1945-48) and then for the Univ. of Manchester (1948-54). During this period, he produced a body of work that helped form the basis of the newly emerging field of artificial intelligence ; among his contributions was the Turing test , a procedure to test whether a computer is capable of humanlike thought. He committed suicide shortly after being arrested for a homosexual offense.

Bibliography: See biography by A. Hodge (1983).

Turing, Alan Mathison (1912–54) English mathematician. In 1937, he invented the Turing machine, a hypothetical machine that could modify a set of input instructions. It was the forerunner of the modern computer. During World War 2, Turing played a major role in deciphering the German ‘Enigma’ code. In 1950, he devised the Turing test, which paved the way for the foundation of artificial intelligence (AI). He committed suicide after being prosecuted for homosexuality.