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Alan Turing

Quote: A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a

human into believing that it was human.

Category:
Mathematics and Technology

Biography:
I was born on June 23, 1912 in London. I lived with my relatives in England while my parents lived and worked in India. I studied mathematics at Cambridge University and subsequently taught there, specializing in quantum mechanics. It was there at Cambridge that I developed proof which states that an automatic computation cannot solve all mathematical problems. In 1938 I began working secretly part time for the British cryptanalytic department. I worked full time with the department following the outbreak of World War 2. I played a vital role in the development of a machine that could decipher the German Enigma code for the British.

After the war I turned my thoughts to the idea of building a machine that would logically process information. My plans were dismissed by my colleagues and the lab lost the chance of being the one of the first to design a digital computer. I committed suicide on 7th June, 1954

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How I Have Changed the World:

I have made a lasting effect because the Enigma Machine code cracker changed the outcome of the war. The invention helped the British understand the messages that the Germans were sending to each other. That helped the Allies win the war and changed the course of history permanently. I also invented the computer, the device that is now used by everybody worldwide. My device has helped make life much easier. The computer is now used at work and for personal entertainment.

Evidence:
I think that I deserve the title of greatest change maker because I am considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence by The Independent. This shows that I hold a very important title to my name. The historian Asa Briggs comments on my contribution in World War 2 to the cracking of the German Enigma code: You needed exceptional talent, you needed genius at Bletchley and Turing's was that genius. The Sunday Times call me 'The outcast who gave us the modern world'. The sentence is stating that I was a unique person who gave us a new way of processing information for use in the modern economy and society. "It is easy to imagine, in a parallel world, an older Turing, flamboyant, confident, a television star and perhaps the founder of a British Google or Apple" (Michael Hanlon). The reason they call me an outcast is because I was gay but I made many modern day inventions that have changed the world.

IB Learner Profiles:

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1. My first IB Learner Profile is that I am a thinker. I am a

thinker because I think in and out of the box to be able to have created my machines. It is also because I thought differently and correctly.
2. I am also an inquirer because I went further and deeper

in to my studies even after World War 2. I wanted to try something new, something different something not thought of.

3. My third Learner Profile is that I am a Risk-Taker because I went out into the

unknown to discover and invent something when my colleagues abandoned me. I took the risk of failing and putting a dent in my name.

Bibliography:

"Alan Turing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing>. "Alan Turing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing>. "Alan Turings Legacy - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/opinion/alan-turings-legacy.html?_r=1&>. "BBC - History - Alan Turing (pictures, video, facts & news)." BBC - Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/alan_turing>. Grabianowski, Ed. "HowStuffWorks "10 Inventions That Changed the World"." HowStuffWorks "Science". N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/inventions/10-inventions-that-

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changed-the-world.htm#page=9>. "Turing100: AlanTuring." Turing100. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. <http://turing100.blogspot.com/search/label/AlanTuring>. "Turing100: Sunday Times Alan Turing article: 'The outcast who gave us the modern world'." Turing100. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. <http://turing100.blogspot.com/2011/11/sunday-times-alan-turing-article.html>. "iuhi." lnkijl. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2012. <upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c8/Alan_Turing_photo.jpg>. "Flickriver: Most interesting photos from Cryptography pool." Flickriver - A new way to view Flickr photos and more.... N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2013. <http://www.flickriver.com/groups/35468150832@N01/pool/interesting/>. "London's first computer." AlanTuring.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2013. <http://www.alanturing.net/turing_archive/archive/infopages/london1st.html>. imprisonment. "Hastings and Rother Rainbow Alliance." Hastings and Rother Rainbow Alliance - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2013. <http://www.hrra.org.uk/History_Alan_Turing.html>.