Current Year 13 Mark I

Original post by ukdragon37

I meant the joke as "ask this guy", with the guy being the one that actually solved the problem first? :tongue:

yeah obvs

. That's like asking a Physicist if he's heard of Newton.

Reply 2961

rorehh

Original post by silentlife

Wait - you don't! :lolwut:

Spoiler

haha, good one

Reply 2962

bananarama2

OP

Who?

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 2963

ukdragon37

Original post by Blutooth

yeah obvs

. That's like asking a Physicist if he's heard of Newton.

Hence "in-joke" :wink:

because unfortunately people outside computer science/maths can't seem to state what exactly he proved, even if they know a little about him.

Also it was his centenary, so I thought the question is apt :tongue:

Reply 2964

Original post by bananarama2

Who?

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

The British cryptologist who cracked the enigma code and helped intercept countless Nazi messages. Also the guy who laid out the principles for the computer, that thing you are typing on, through the universal turing machine. Also showed that all functions in mathematics that could be calculated could be done so by a universal turing machine.

Ya know, That guy, What's his face.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 2965

bananarama2

OP

Original post by Blutooth

The British cryptologist who cracked the enigma code and helped intercept countless Nazi messages. Also the guy who laid out the principles for the computer, that thing you are typing on, through the universal turing machine. Also showed that all functions in mathematics that could be calculated could be done so by a universal turing machine.

I was joking. Who doesn't know who he is.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 2966

Original post by bananarama2

I was joking. Who doesn't know who he is.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

I suspected you probably were, but I wanted to run with it (a because it's funny and b) for the benefit of people on this forum who don't know about him. There will be quite a few.

Never heard of him

Original post by Blutooth

I suspected you probably were, but I wanted to run with it (a because it's funny and b) for the benefit of people on this forum who don't know about him. There will be quite a few.

Didn't he kill himself after being prosecuted for homosexuality?

Reply 2969

ukdragon37

Original post by bananarama2

I was joking. Who doesn't know who he is.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Aaaanyway. That question is basically one way of mathematically formulating the halting problem, which Turing proved as a falsifying witness to the Entscheidungsproblem. And as I said, it's Turing's centenary, so I thought the question was apt :tongue:

The problem and its proof is not actually that advanced. A wordy proof is given in the book which King's uses as its interview text, so in fact the question could be discussed at the interview. I just stated the problem (or rather, one formalisation of it) using mathematical notation.

For non-computer-inclined people: The unsolvability of the halting problem is basically why whatever computer you buy you can never guarantee it won't crash/have bugs. (Despite what Apple says)

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 2970

Original post by Arva

Didn't he kill himself after being prosecuted for homosexuality?

That was the tragic end. No one even knew about his code-breaking till like 40 years ago as his military activites were classified and to be kept secret. So in his lifetime he was an unsung hero. Quite sad really.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 2971

Arva

Original post by Blutooth

That was the tragic end. No one even knew about his code-breaking till like 40 years ago as his military activites were classified and to be kept secret? So in his lifetime he was an unsung hero. Quite sad really.

Very sad.
He was a Wrangler too right? I read some stuff on his history a while back, don't ask me why.

Reply 2972

Original post by Arva

Very sad.
He was a Wrangler too right? I read some stuff on his history a while back, don't ask me why.

That's cool :smile:

.His life is interesting...

Reply 2973

Arva

Original post by Blutooth

That's cool :smile:

.His life is interesting...

Reminds me of Oscar Wilde a fair bit. Sad stuff.

Reply 2974

Original post by Arva

Reminds me of Oscar Wilde a fair bit. Sad stuff.

Except Oscar Wilde was also a bit pretentious.

Reply 2975

Arva

Original post by Blutooth

Except Oscar Wilde was also a bit pretentious.

I meant the whole "very good in his field and died tragically because of his sexual orientation" but never mind. :redface:

Reply 2976

Kadux

1

Thinking about getting a Macbook Pro but this forum seems so anti-apple... I can't find any Windows laptops with everything I want for much cheaper though.

Might make a thread.

Reply 2977