The Turing Omnibus: 61 Excursions In Computer Science

440 Pages·1989·59.821 MB·English

by  A.K. Dewdney

TURING OMNIBUS
The
DEWDNEY
A.K.
COMPUTERS
THE TURING OMNIBUS
61 Excursions in ComputerScience
DEWDNEY
A. K.
Prepareyourselfforawonderfullyeclecticjour-
neythrough the landofTuring, that ripe math-
ematical landscape fed by imagination and
technology Thecoachstops atall the must-see
landmarks in computer science - monuments
of theory avenues of application, and other
pointsofinterestalongtheway
From artificial intelligence and simulation
to computer vision and cryptography, The
Turing Omnibus takes you on a fascinating
excursion,with computerscientistA. K. Dewd-
neyasyourguide. He shows howcertain com-
putercodes are usedto protect the integrityof
photographs beamed to Earth from space
probes hundreds of thousands of miles away
He describes how computers generate and
manipulate random numbers to simulate real-
life situations. And he offers dozens of other
intriguingglimpsesintothecurrentstateofthe
computerscientist's art.
Whether your interest is casual or profes-
sional. The Turing Omnibusgives you a porta-
ble reference you'll read and refer to for years
to come.
CoverpaintingbyDavidMoyers.

THE TURING OMNIBUS
I
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THE TURING OMNIBUS
61 Excursions in
Computer Science
DEWDNEY
A. K.
COMPUTER SCIENCE PRESS
Coverillustration byDavidMoyers
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Dewdney,A. K.
TheTuring Omnibus.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Electronic dataprocessing. 2. Computers.
I. Title.
QA76.D45 1989 004 87-37501
ISBN0-7167-8154-9
Copyright© 1989ComputerSciencePress
Nopartofthisbookmaybe reproducedbyanymechanical,
photographic, orelectronicprocess, orintheformofaphonographic
recording, normayitbestoredinaretrievalsystem, transmitted, or
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from thepublisher.
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Dedicated to the memory of
Assna Bernstein
(1902-1969)
German lessons,
endless toastandjam,
the human cabbala