Alan Turing.

TURING, Alan Mathison, 1912-1954; COMPUTER scientists; COGNITIVE science; MATHEMATICAL programming; HISTORY of mathematics; ARTIFICIAL intelligence; MATHEMATICAL models; COMPUTER programming; OPERATION Colossus, 1941; MACHINE learning; COMPUTER science; TURING machines; MACHINE theory; COMPUTER software; COMPUTER programmers; HISTORY

Computer Scientist; Cryptanalyst; Logician; Mathematician

The author presents background information on twentieth-century British mathematician Alan Turing. The author reviews how Turing is regarded as one of the founders of modern computing. He also contributed to the fields of mathematics, logic, philosophy, biology, cognitive science, and artificial life. He was the first to apply the concept of algorithms to computer science, and his research into machines and human thought helped shape the field of artificial intelligence. Details related to Turing's early life and education are discussed. The author also reviews how Turing convicted of the "crime" of homosexuality by the British government in th 1950s.