Difference between revisions of "Lesson:Biographies/AlanTuring"

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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.
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==Alan Turing==
  
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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.
 
  
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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.
+
===Early Life===
  
−
Cryptanalysis and Early Computers
+
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.
  
−
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.
+
After Sherborne, Turing enrolled at King's College (University of Cambridge) in Cambridge, eventually becoming a fellow at the school after his graduation.
  
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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.
+
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 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.
+
===Cryptanalysis and Early Computers===
  
−
Homosexuality, Conviction and Death
+
During World War II, Turing made significant contributions to the code-breaking of German ciphers, which helped shorten the war.
  
−
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 mid-1940s, Turing led the design work for the Automatic Computing Engine and ultimately created a groundbreaking blueprint for store-program computers which influenced the design of the world’s first personal computer.
  
−
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.
+
In 1950 he published a paper, "Computing machinery and intelligence," proposing an experiment that has significantly influenced debates over artificial intelligence.
  
−
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.
+
===Homosexuality, Conviction and Death===
  
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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.
+
In the early 1950s Turing was charged with gross indecency for being gay, which was illegal in England at the time and had to choose between receiving hormonal treatment (which would leave him impotent) or imprisonment. He chose the treatment.
  
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Awards, Recognition and Apology
+
As a result of his conviction, Turing's security clearance was removed and he was barred from continuing his work with cryptography.
  
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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.
+
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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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.
+
===Awards, Recognition and Apology===
  
−
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.
+
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.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
====end up====
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*He wanted to be a doctor but ended up a lawyer.
 +
*After backpacking around Europe for a few months, we ended up finding a nice place to live in the south of France.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
====give up for adoption====
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*She could not raise her son and had to give him up for adoption.
 +
*He was given up for adoption and never got to meet his biological parents.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
====take apart====
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*He took the television apart and then rebuilt it.
 +
*He took the clock apart and didn't know how to put it back together.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
====drop out====
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*He dropped out of the photography class because he didn't like the teacher.
 +
*She decided to drop out of college and go work at a restaurant.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
====drop in====
 +
 
 +
This expression is very uncommon and we're only explaining it here because it's used in the Steve Jobs' quote. So, don't worry about having to use it.
 +
 
 +
{{Example|
 +
*He drops in the class even though he's not enrolled.
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Talk a little about...===
 +
 
 +
Have you ever done something, like in Jobs' case a Calligraphy course, that seemed to have no practical application in your life, but that became important later on and shaped the future of something you were doing? Have you ever looked back and connected the dots and understood things you did in the past under a new light?
 +
 
 +
===True or False===
 +
 
 +
<quiz display="simple">
 +
{&nbsp;
 +
|type="()"}
 +
| True &nbsp; | False &nbsp;
 +
-+Steve Jobs moved to California in 1955.
 +
-+Clara Jobs, Steve's biological mother, was an accountant.
 +
+-Steve was given up for adoption.
 +
-+Steve's mother gave him up for adoption so she could go to college.
 +
+-Clara and Paul Jobs promised Steve's biological mother they would provide him with a college education.
 +
+-Paul's father was a mechanic. He taught Steve about electronics.
 +
+-Before he started school, Steve could already read.
 +
-+Paul's father was frustrated with his grades in school.
 +
+-Jobs skipped only one grade in school even though he could have skipped two.
 +
-+Jobs graduated high school in 1972 and started college the next year.
 +
-+Reed College was a good and affordable school.
 +
+-Jobs' parents had a hard time paying for their son's college education.
 +
+-Jobs said that the Calligraphy course he took in college was very important in designing the Mac.
 +
</quiz>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Practice===
 +
 
 +
Read the following sentences. Then change them to the negative and interrogative form.
 +
 
 +
*He was born in 1955.
 +
*He was born in San Francisco.
 +
*He was born in California.
 +
*He was born in February.
 +
*He was born on the 24th.
 +
 
 +
*He got married in 1970.
 +
*He wanted to get married in 1970.
 +
*She signed the adoption papers.
 +
*She allowed the Jobs to adopt Steve.
 +
*They promised to provide him with a college education.
 +
 
 +
*He learned how to take things apart.
 +
*He learned how to rebuild things.
 +
*He started to work at Atari.
 +
*His mother taught him to read.
 +
*He went to Reed College.
 +
 
 +
*The school officials recommended Jobs skip two years.
 +
*Jobs' parents allowed him to skip only one year.
 +
*He chose to drop out of college.
 +
*He chose to drop in the Calligraphy class as an auditing student.
 +
*He skipped one grade.
 +
*He graduated high school in 1972.
 +
 
 +
*His parents could afford to pay for his college.
 +
*His father worked as a mechanic.
 +
*His mother worked as an accountant.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Conversation===
 +
 
 +
#What do you think about parents that give their children up for adoption?
 +
#If you had been adopted, would you try to meet your biological parents?
 +
#Would you adopt a child? Why or why not?
 +
#Do you have a college degree? Do you think it is still important to have a college degree nowadays?
 +
#Do you think the profession of your parents has influenced you in any way?
 +
#Do you know anything about electronics?
 +
#Were you ever frustrated in school? Tell the story.
 +
#Do you find it hard to focus? Do you have any tips or tricks for that?
 +
#Do you find it hard to make things simple? Do you have any tips or tricks for that?
 +
#What class impacted you the most in school (high school, college, etc)?
 +
#What person impacted you the most?
 +
#Have you ever had to give anything up in your life?
 +
#Have you ever taken anything apart?
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Lifehacks===
 +
 
 +
[[File:87-lean-your-phone-on-your-sunglassess.jpg|500px|Lean your phone on your sunglasses]]
 +
 
 +
<span class="badge badge-info">Lifehack:</span> What do you think about this lifehack? Will it be useful to you?
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===Quotes===
 +
 
 +
 
 +
“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex; you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.” -- Steve Jobs
 +
 
 +
====Exercise====
 +
 
 +
Write a few paragraphs commenting on the Steve Jobs quote above. Do you agree with him? Do you have examples from your life? When can this be a bad advice? What do you need to do in your life in order to be able to focus and simplify things?
 +
 
 +
 
 +
 
 +
===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}}}}
 +
}}

Revision as of 01:49, 22 June 2015

Biographies


Alan Turing

Early Life

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.

Cryptanalysis and Early Computers

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 for store-program computers 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.

Homosexuality, Conviction and Death

In the early 1950s Turing was charged with gross indecency for being gay, which was illegal in England at the time and 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.

Awards, Recognition and Apology

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.


end up

  • He wanted to be a doctor but ended up a lawyer.
  • After backpacking around Europe for a few months, we ended up finding a nice place to live in the south of France.

give up for adoption

  • She could not raise her son and had to give him up for adoption.
  • He was given up for adoption and never got to meet his biological parents.

take apart

  • He took the television apart and then rebuilt it.
  • He took the clock apart and didn't know how to put it back together.

drop out

  • He dropped out of the photography class because he didn't like the teacher.
  • She decided to drop out of college and go work at a restaurant.

drop in

This expression is very uncommon and we're only explaining it here because it's used in the Steve Jobs' quote. So, don't worry about having to use it.

  • He drops in the class even though he's not enrolled.


Talk a little about...

Have you ever done something, like in Jobs' case a Calligraphy course, that seemed to have no practical application in your life, but that became important later on and shaped the future of something you were doing? Have you ever looked back and connected the dots and understood things you did in the past under a new light?

True or False

 

True   False  
Steve Jobs moved to California in 1955.
Clara Jobs, Steve's biological mother, was an accountant.
Steve was given up for adoption.
Steve's mother gave him up for adoption so she could go to college.
Clara and Paul Jobs promised Steve's biological mother they would provide him with a college education.
Paul's father was a mechanic. He taught Steve about electronics.
Before he started school, Steve could already read.
Paul's father was frustrated with his grades in school.
Jobs skipped only one grade in school even though he could have skipped two.
Jobs graduated high school in 1972 and started college the next year.
Reed College was a good and affordable school.
Jobs' parents had a hard time paying for their son's college education.
Jobs said that the Calligraphy course he took in college was very important in designing the Mac.


Practice

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

  • He was born in 1955.
  • He was born in San Francisco.
  • He was born in California.
  • He was born in February.
  • He was born on the 24th.
  • He got married in 1970.
  • He wanted to get married in 1970.
  • She signed the adoption papers.
  • She allowed the Jobs to adopt Steve.
  • They promised to provide him with a college education.
  • He learned how to take things apart.
  • He learned how to rebuild things.
  • He started to work at Atari.
  • His mother taught him to read.
  • He went to Reed College.
  • The school officials recommended Jobs skip two years.
  • Jobs' parents allowed him to skip only one year.
  • He chose to drop out of college.
  • He chose to drop in the Calligraphy class as an auditing student.
  • He skipped one grade.
  • He graduated high school in 1972.
  • His parents could afford to pay for his college.
  • His father worked as a mechanic.
  • His mother worked as an accountant.


Conversation

  1. What do you think about parents that give their children up for adoption?
  2. If you had been adopted, would you try to meet your biological parents?
  3. Would you adopt a child? Why or why not?
  4. Do you have a college degree? Do you think it is still important to have a college degree nowadays?
  5. Do you think the profession of your parents has influenced you in any way?
  6. Do you know anything about electronics?
  7. Were you ever frustrated in school? Tell the story.
  8. Do you find it hard to focus? Do you have any tips or tricks for that?
  9. Do you find it hard to make things simple? Do you have any tips or tricks for that?
  10. What class impacted you the most in school (high school, college, etc)?
  11. What person impacted you the most?
  12. Have you ever had to give anything up in your life?
  13. Have you ever taken anything apart?


Lifehacks

Lean your phone on your sunglasses

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


Quotes

“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex; you have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.” -- Steve Jobs

Exercise

Write a few paragraphs commenting on the Steve Jobs quote above. Do you agree with him? Do you have examples from your life? When can this be a bad advice? What do you need to do in your life in order to be able to focus and simplify things?


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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