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Early Life
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Biographies
  
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English scientist Alan Turing was born Alan Mathison Turing on June 23, 1912, in Maida Vale, London, England. At a young age, he displayed signs of high intelligence, which some of his teachers recognized, but did not necessarily respect. When Turing attended the well-known independent Sherborne School at the age of 13, he became particularly interested in math and science.
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After Sherborne, Turing enrolled at King's College (University of Cambridge) in Cambridge, England, studying there from 1931 to 1934. As a result of his dissertation, in which he proved the central limit theorem, Turing was elected a fellow at the school upon his graduation.
+
==Alan Turing==
  
−
In 1936, Turing delivered a paper, "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem," in which he presented the notion of a universal machine (later called the “Universal Turing Machine," and then the "Turing machine") capable of computing anything that is computable: The central concept of the modern computer was based on Turing’s paper.
 
  
−
Over the next two years, Turing studied mathematics and cryptology at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. After receiving his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1938, he returned to Cambridge, and then took a part-time position with the Government Code and Cypher School, a British code-breaking organization.
+
Alan Mathison Turing was born on June 23, 1912, in London, England. Already at a young age, he displayed signs of high intelligence. When Turing attended Sherborne School at the age of 13, he became very interested in math and science.
  
−
Cryptanalysis and Early Computers
+
After Sherborne, Turing enrolled at King's College (University of Cambridge) in Cambridge, eventually becoming a fellow at the school after his graduation.
  
−
During World War II, Turing was a leading participant in wartime code-breaking, particularly that of German ciphers. He worked at Bletchley Park, the GCCS wartime station, where he made five major advances in the field of cryptanalysis, including specifying the bombe, an electromechanical device used to help decipher German Enigma encrypted signals. Turing’s contributions to the code-breaking process didn’t stop there: He also wrote two papers about mathematical approaches to code-breaking, which became such important assets to the Code and Cypher School (later known as the Government Communications Headquarters) that the GCHQ waited until April 2012 to release them to the National Archives of the United Kingdom.
+
In 1936, Turing delivered a paper in which he presented the notion of a universal machine (later called the "Turing machine") capable of computing anything that is computable: The central concept of the modern computer.
  
−
Turing moved to London in the mid-1940s, and began working for the National Physical Laboratory. Among his most notable contributions while working at the facility, Turing led the design work for the Automatic Computing Engine and ultimately created a groundbreaking blueprint for store-program computers. Though a complete version of the ACE was never built, its concept has been used as a model by tech corporations worldwide for several years, influencing the design of the English Electric DEUCE and the American Bendix G-15—credited by many in the tech industry as the world’s first personal computer—among other computer models.
+
During World War II, Turing made significant contributions to the code-breaking of German ciphers, which helped shorten the war.
  
−
Turing went on to hold high-ranking positions in the mathematics department and later the computing laboratory at the University of Manchester in the late 1940s. He first addressed the issue of artificial intelligence in his 1950 paper, "Computing machinery and intelligence," and proposed an experiment known as the “Turing Test”—an effort to create an intelligence design standard for the tech industry. Over the past several decades, the test has significantly influenced debates over artificial intelligence.
+
In the mid-1940s, Turing led the design work for the Automatic Computing Engine and ultimately created a groundbreaking blueprint which influenced the design of the world’s first personal computer.
  
−
Homosexuality, Conviction and Death
+
In 1950 he published a paper, "Computing machinery and intelligence," proposing an experiment that has significantly influenced debates over artificial intelligence.
  
−
Homosexuality was illegal in the United Kingdom in the early 1950s, so when Turing admitted to police—who he called to his house after a break-in—in January, 1952, that he had had a sexual relationship with the perpetrator, 19-year-old Arnold Murray, he was charged with gross indecency. Following his arrest, Turing was forced to choose between temporary probation on the condition that he receive hormonal treatment for libido reduction, or imprisonment. He chose the former, and soon underwent chemical castration through injections of a synthetic estrogen hormone for a year, which eventually rendered him impotent.
+
In the early 1950s Turing was charged with gross indecency for being gay, which was illegal in England at the time and he had to choose between receiving hormonal treatment (which would leave him impotent) or imprisonment. He chose the treatment.
  
−
As a result of his conviction, Turing's security clearance was removed and he was barred from continuing his work with cryptography at the GCCS, which had become the GCHQ in 1946.
+
As a result of his conviction, Turing's security clearance was removed and he was barred from continuing his work with cryptography.
  
−
Turing died on June 7, 1954. Following a postmortem exam, it was determined that the cause of death was cyanide poisoning. The remains of an apple were found next to the body, though no apple parts were found in his stomach. The autopsy reported that "four ounces of fluid which smelled strongly of bitter almonds, as does a solution of cyanide" was found in the stomach. Trace smell of bitter almonds was also reported in vital organs. The autopsy concluded that the cause of death was asphyxia due to cyanide poisoning and ruled a suicide.  
+
Turing died on June 7, 1954, supposedly having committed suicide by eating a poisoned apple, however, it has been argued that his death might have been an accident.
  
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In a June 2012 BBC article, philosophy professor and Turing expert Jack Copeland argued that Turing's death may have been an accident: The apple was never tested for cyanide, nothing in the accounts of Turing's last days suggested he was suicidal and Turing had cyanide in his house for chemical experiments he conducted in his spare room.
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After World War II, Turing was honored in a number of ways. In 1999, Time magazine named him one of its "100 Most Important People of the 20th century," and he has been recognized for his impact on computer science, with many crediting him as the "founder" of the field.
  
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Awards, Recognition and Apology
+
In 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on behalf of the British government, posthumously apologized to Turing for prosecuting him as a homosexual.
 +
  
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Shortly after World War II, Alan Turing was awarded an Order of the British Empire for his work. For what would have been his 86th birthday, Turing biographer Andrew Hodges unveiled an official English Heritage blue plaque at his childhood home. In June 2007, a life-size statue of Turing was unveiled at Bletchley Park, in Buckinghamshire, England. A bronze statue of Turing was unveiled at the University of Surrey on October 28, 2004, to mark the 50th anniversary of his death. Additionally, the Princeton University Alumni Weekly named Turing the second most significant alumnus in the history of the school.
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===Expressions===
  
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Turing was honored in a number of other ways, particularly in the city of Manchester, where he worked toward the end of his life. In 1999, Time magazine named him one of its "100 Most Important People of the 20th century," saying, "The fact remains that everyone who taps at a keyboard, opening a spreadsheet or a word-processing program, is working on an incarnation of a Turing machine." Turing was also ranked 21st on the BBC nationwide poll of the "100 Greatest Britons" in 2002. By and large, Turing has been recognized for his impact on computer science, with many crediting him as the "founder" of the field.
 
  
−
Following a petition started by John Graham-Cumming, then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown released a statement on September 10, 2009 on behalf of the British government, posthumously apologized to Turing for prosecuting him as a homosexual.
+
Read the examples below and then make a few sentences with each expression.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
====make contributions====
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*He made contributions to the event on Saturday.
 +
*Martin Luther King, Jr. made a great contribution to society by fighting for equal rights.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
====to be charged with====
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*He was charged with burglary this afternoon.
 +
*The woman was charged with the murder of her husband.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
====to be barred from====
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*EU citizens living in UK will be barred from voting in the referendum that will decide whether the UK is in or out of the European Union.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
====to be honored====
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*He was honered many times after his death.
 +
*She was honored for her contributions to the development of a cure for cancer.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
====to credit someone as====
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*René Descartes is credited as the father of analytical geometry.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Talk a little about...===
 +
 
 +
Prejudice against homosexuals had a deep impact in the life of one of the great geniuses of the 20th century. Do you think the government has a right to interfere in someone's private life? How do you stand on other controversial issues such as euthanasia and abortion?
 +
 
 +
===Vocabulary===
 +
 
 +
Look up the definition for the following words and write sentences with them. These words are used in the video below and understanding them will help your listening comprehension.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
{{Definition|whose}}
 +
{{Definition|split}}
 +
{{Definition|scholarship}}
 +
{{Definition2|take|on}}
 +
{{Definition|conceive}}
 +
{{Definition|hypothetical}}
 +
{{Definition|string}}
 +
{{Definition|finite}}
 +
{{Definition|set}}
 +
{{Definition|rules}}
 +
{{Definition|wit}}
 +
{{Definition|cunning}}
 +
{{Definition|stakes}}
 +
{{Definition|relished}}
 +
{{Definition|myriad}}
 +
{{Definition|eroded}}
 +
{{Definition|cracked}}
 +
{{Definition|lacked}}
 +
{{Definition|fill}}
 +
{{Definition|gap}}
 +
 
 +
===Conversation===
 +
 
 +
#How were you as a child? Did your parents and teachers understand you?
 +
#Do you like math and science? How was your relationship with these subjects?
 +
#What were your favorite subjects in school?
 +
#When did you know what you wanted to do with your life?
 +
#How have personal computers impacted society?
 +
#How would your life be different if there weren't personal computers?
 +
#Have you watched any movies about AI (artificial intelligence)?
 +
#Do you think one day computers will be able to have emotions like we do?
 +
#What prejudices do we still have in our own society?
 +
#Are you guilty of having prejudices as well?
 +
#How do we avoid having prejudice?
 +
#Have you ever been a victim of prejudice?
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Practice===
 +
 
 +
 
 +
Read the following sentences. Then change them to the negative and interrogative form.
 +
 
 +
*At a young age, he could already read and write.
 +
*He displayed signs of stress.
 +
*He attended Sherborne School.
 +
*She started studying physics at the age of 12.
 +
*He became very interested in biology.
 +
 
 +
*He enrolled at THE GROVE.
 +
*He enrolled on an English course.
 +
*He enrolled on an English course in Florianópolis.
 +
 
 +
*She eventually gave up on her plans.
 +
*After her graduation she moved to another city.
 +
*The professor delivered an important paper.
 +
*The cuts the director made shortened the play.
 +
 
 +
*In the mid-1960s The Beatles exploded in the US.
 +
*He published a paper in 1950.
 +
*As a result of his efforts, he was given a prize.
 +
 
 +
*He was honored for his contributions in cryptography.
 +
*He has been recognized for his creativity.
 +
*The woman apologized on behalf of her sister.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===True or False===
 +
 
 +
<quiz display="simple">
 +
{&nbsp;
 +
|type="()"}
 +
| True &nbsp; | False &nbsp;
 +
 
 +
+-Turing was born in England.
 +
+-Turing was recognized for his intelligence since he was young.
 +
-+Turing became interested in math and science after Sherborne.
 +
+-After graduating from King's College he became a fellow at the school.
 +
+-The notion of a universal machine was called the "Turing machine".
 +
-+During World War II Turing was accused of being gay.
 +
+-Turing's contribution to the codebreaking of German ciphers had as a result a shorter war.
 +
-+Turing created the world's first personal computer.
 +
-+Turing was greatly influenced by a paper published on "Computing machinery and intelligence."
 +
-+It was illegal to receive hormonal treatment for being gay in England at the time.
 +
-+Turing's clearance was removed because of his work with cryptography.
 +
+-It seems Turing died by eating a poisoned apple.
 +
-+Turing was criticized after World War II in a number of ways.
 +
+-Turing is credited as the "founder" of computer science.
 +
-+The British government believes Turing is one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.
 +
</quiz>
 +
 
 +
===Lifehacks===
 +
 
 +
[[File:51-How-to-multiply-large-numbers-in-your-head..jpg|500px|How to multiply large numbers in your head]]
 +
 
 +
<span class="badge badge-info">Lifehack:</span> What do you think about this lifehack? Will it be useful to you?
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Quotes===
 +
 
 +
 
 +
“A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.” -- Alan Turing
 +
 
 +
====Exercise====
 +
 
 +
Write a few paragraphs commenting on the Alan Turing quote above. Do you agree with him? Do you think computers can become as intelligent as humans one day? How would you judge if a computer is intelligent or not?
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===References===
 +
 
 +
{{youtube|gtRLmL70TH0}}
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Comments===
 +
 
 +
Did you have any difficulties? Learn anything interesting? Comment below so you can share your knowledge with other students.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
{{#widget:DISQUS
 +
|id=jointhegrove
 +
|uniqid={{PAGENAME}}
 +
|url={{fullurl:{{PAGENAME}}}}
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}}

Latest revision as of 09:06, 14 July 2015

Biographies


Alan Turing

Alan Mathison Turing was born on June 23, 1912, in London, England. Already at a young age, he displayed signs of high intelligence. When Turing attended Sherborne School at the age of 13, he became very interested in math and science.

After Sherborne, Turing enrolled at King's College (University of Cambridge) in Cambridge, eventually becoming a fellow at the school after his graduation.

In 1936, Turing delivered a paper in which he presented the notion of a universal machine (later called the "Turing machine") capable of computing anything that is computable: The central concept of the modern computer.

During World War II, Turing made significant contributions to the code-breaking of German ciphers, which helped shorten the war.

In the mid-1940s, Turing led the design work for the Automatic Computing Engine and ultimately created a groundbreaking blueprint which influenced the design of the world’s first personal computer.

In 1950 he published a paper, "Computing machinery and intelligence," proposing an experiment that has significantly influenced debates over artificial intelligence.

In the early 1950s Turing was charged with gross indecency for being gay, which was illegal in England at the time and he had to choose between receiving hormonal treatment (which would leave him impotent) or imprisonment. He chose the treatment.

As a result of his conviction, Turing's security clearance was removed and he was barred from continuing his work with cryptography.

Turing died on June 7, 1954, supposedly having committed suicide by eating a poisoned apple, however, it has been argued that his death might have been an accident.

After World War II, Turing was honored in a number of ways. In 1999, Time magazine named him one of its "100 Most Important People of the 20th century," and he has been recognized for his impact on computer science, with many crediting him as the "founder" of the field.

In 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, on behalf of the British government, posthumously apologized to Turing for prosecuting him as a homosexual.


Expressions

Read the examples below and then make a few sentences with each expression.


make contributions

  • He made contributions to the event on Saturday.
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. made a great contribution to society by fighting for equal rights.

to be charged with

  • He was charged with burglary this afternoon.
  • The woman was charged with the murder of her husband.

to be barred from

  • EU citizens living in UK will be barred from voting in the referendum that will decide whether the UK is in or out of the European Union.

to be honored

  • He was honered many times after his death.
  • She was honored for her contributions to the development of a cure for cancer.

to credit someone as

  • René Descartes is credited as the father of analytical geometry.


Talk a little about...

Prejudice against homosexuals had a deep impact in the life of one of the great geniuses of the 20th century. Do you think the government has a right to interfere in someone's private life? How do you stand on other controversial issues such as euthanasia and abortion?

Vocabulary

Look up the definition for the following words and write sentences with them. These words are used in the video below and understanding them will help your listening comprehension.


DT   whose

DT   split

DT   scholarship

DT   take on

DT   conceive

DT   hypothetical

DT   string

DT   finite

DT   set

DT   rules

DT   wit

DT   cunning

DT   stakes

DT   relished

DT   myriad

DT   eroded

DT   cracked

DT   lacked

DT   fill

DT   gap

Conversation

  1. How were you as a child? Did your parents and teachers understand you?
  2. Do you like math and science? How was your relationship with these subjects?
  3. What were your favorite subjects in school?
  4. When did you know what you wanted to do with your life?
  5. How have personal computers impacted society?
  6. How would your life be different if there weren't personal computers?
  7. Have you watched any movies about AI (artificial intelligence)?
  8. Do you think one day computers will be able to have emotions like we do?
  9. What prejudices do we still have in our own society?
  10. Are you guilty of having prejudices as well?
  11. How do we avoid having prejudice?
  12. Have you ever been a victim of prejudice?


Practice

Read the following sentences. Then change them to the negative and interrogative form.

  • At a young age, he could already read and write.
  • He displayed signs of stress.
  • He attended Sherborne School.
  • She started studying physics at the age of 12.
  • He became very interested in biology.
  • He enrolled at THE GROVE.
  • He enrolled on an English course.
  • He enrolled on an English course in Florianópolis.
  • She eventually gave up on her plans.
  • After her graduation she moved to another city.
  • The professor delivered an important paper.
  • The cuts the director made shortened the play.
  • In the mid-1960s The Beatles exploded in the US.
  • He published a paper in 1950.
  • As a result of his efforts, he was given a prize.
  • He was honored for his contributions in cryptography.
  • He has been recognized for his creativity.
  • The woman apologized on behalf of her sister.


True or False

 

True   False  
Turing was born in England.
Turing was recognized for his intelligence since he was young.
Turing became interested in math and science after Sherborne.
After graduating from King's College he became a fellow at the school.
The notion of a universal machine was called the "Turing machine".
During World War II Turing was accused of being gay.
Turing's contribution to the codebreaking of German ciphers had as a result a shorter war.
Turing created the world's first personal computer.
Turing was greatly influenced by a paper published on "Computing machinery and intelligence."
It was illegal to receive hormonal treatment for being gay in England at the time.
Turing's clearance was removed because of his work with cryptography.
It seems Turing died by eating a poisoned apple.
Turing was criticized after World War II in a number of ways.
Turing is credited as the "founder" of computer science.
The British government believes Turing is one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.


Lifehacks

How to multiply large numbers in your head

Lifehack: What do you think about this lifehack? Will it be useful to you?


Quotes

“A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.” -- Alan Turing

Exercise

Write a few paragraphs commenting on the Alan Turing quote above. Do you agree with him? Do you think computers can become as intelligent as humans one day? How would you judge if a computer is intelligent or not?


References




Comments

Did you have any difficulties? Learn anything interesting? Comment below so you can share your knowledge with other students.


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