Alan Turing: The Enigma (134 page)

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Authors: Andrew Hodges

Tags: #Biography & Autobiography, #Science & Technology, #Computers, #History, #Mathematics, #History & Philosophy

BOOK: Alan Turing: The Enigma
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tube, vacuum
see
electronic; cathode ray tube
Turing, origins of family
1
,
14
Turing, Alan Mathison:
conceived in British India, born in London (1912)5;
has primitive love of science
19
;
but is sent to public school (1926)
20
;
beats the system
32
;
and studies Einstein
33–4
;
loves Christopher, and joins human race
35
;
suffers death of Christopher (1930)
45
;
writes ‘Nature of Spirit’ at Cambridge
63
is not of the Cambridge élite
74
;
but is Anti-war (1933)
71
,
87
;
and has first affair
75–6
;
studies quantum mechanics and mathematical logic
79

86
,
90

94
;
and becomes King’s College Fellow
94
;
invents Turing machine
96

98
;
to dispose of
Entscheidungsproblem,
deep result in mathematics
102
;
with implications for nature of mind and for the computer of the future
105–10
;
is drawn into world mathematics at Princeton (1936)
112–3
,
117
;
but suffers frustrations
129
;
electrifies multiplication with cryptographic ideas
138
;
while pursuing abstruse ‘ordinal logics’
142–3
;
also tackles the problems of prime numbers
135
,
140–1
;
with a mechanical device
141
,
155
;
turns down American opportunity (1938)
145–6
;
and is recruited to British government cryptanalysis, as its first mathematician
146
;
sponsors boy refugee
150–1
;
joins up at Bletchley Park (1939)
160
;
helps make machines to break Enigma, key to all German communications
181
;
heads work on naval Enigma
187
,
195
;
develops new statistical methods
196–7
with direct impact on Atlantic war (1941)
198
;
engaged to fellow cryptanalyst, breaks off
206
,
216
;
is chief analyst at Bletchley Park in 1942 crises
227–8
;
is highest level liaison between Britain and United States, visiting Washington and New York
244
,
247
;
returns amidst Atlantic convoy fiasco (March 1943)
253
,
260
;
turns away from Bletchley Park
268
;
takes on advanced speech scrambler of his own
273
;
has claim as originator of electronic digital computer
295
;
but comes second to American developments
304–5
;
is recruited to National Physical Laboratory (1945)
307
;
submits report with detailed, original, ambitious computer plan
333
;
persuades NPL of plan (1946)
336
;
but sees nothing happen
356
;
meanwhile develops ideas of ‘intelligent machinery’ and robots
357–61
,
377–82
;
becomes Marthon runner
369
;
returns for refreshment and another affair at Cambridge (1947–8)
370–3
;
then cuts losses at NPL
376–7
;
and takes up difficult position at Manchester (1948)
390
;
turns aside from computers, uncertain of direction
394
,
403
,
413
;
writes classic paper on machine intelligence with ‘imitation game’ as Turing Test (1950)415–26;
finds new field in biology
429–30
;
for which computer is used
445
;
but breaks laws of sex and class
448–50
;
is found out after burglary
455
;
goes to trial (March 1952)
471
;
is treated scientifically, with female hormones
473
;
seems to beat the system again
476
;
and analyses dreams
481
;
but fails to explain sinister ‘Kjell crisis’ (1953)
483
;
sends messages from the unseen world
512
;
and dies of cyanide poisoning (June 1954)
487
;
without revealing the secret world
502–3
Turing, Arthur (uncle)
2
,
496
Turing,
Ethel Sara
(née
Stoney) (mother):
early life
3

4
;
and AMT’s schooling
7
,
10
,
19

20
;
school letters and holidays
11

21
,
387
n;
independence of husband
16
,
25
,
369
;
has Stoney view of science
16
,
41
,
120
,
520
;
links with Mrs Morcom
46

51
,
53
,
59
;
and AMT’s ideas
111
n,
114
,
120
,
152
,
294
,
439
;
social manners, presents, relations, church
etc.
73
n,
126
,
132
,
151–2
,
206
,
208
,
268
,
346
;
and AMT’s war work
239–40
,
242
;
takes in AMT’s washing
354
;
and AMT’s Manchester life
439–40
,
454
,
484
,
490
,
509
;
and trial
463–4
,
481
;
reaction to AMT’s death
488–9
,
491
,
491
n,
496
,
523
, 528
biographer and memorialist
531–3
,
536
,
536
n
Turing, Fanny
(née
Boyd) (grandmother)
2
Turing, Harvey D. (uncle)
2
Turing, John F. (brother): birth
5
;
boyhood relation with AMT
8

11
,
18
,
19
,
33
;
later tenuous contacts
114
,
239
,
369
;
and trial
463–4
;
and AMT’s death
488
,
491
, 528
Turing, John Robert (grandfather)
2
,
369
,
488
Turing, Julius Mathison (father):
early life
2

3
;
as ICS father
7

10
;
premature resignation
15
;
and AMT’s schooling
25
,
32
,
41
;
visits Morcoms
63
;
life after illness
88
,
144
,
151
;
death
369
;
also
377
,
464
,
464
n,
481–2
Turing machines
96

99
; used to define a ‘mechanical process’
100–2
;
‘state of mind’ interpretation
105–6
;
‘instruction note’ interpretation
106–7
;
related to Post’s ‘worker’
125
;
and relay multiplier
139–40
;
and cipher work
120
,
164
,
211
;
and to fundamentals of computer and machine intelligence
107–8
,
290–3
,
296–7
,
383–4
,
419
;
regarded as programs for Universal Turing Machine
(q.v.)
102–3
,
292–3
,
319–20
,
360
,
381
Turing, Sybil (aunt holding Relations Merit Diploma)
2
,
132
,
447
,
454
Turing Test
266
,
415
,
417
Turingismus
230–1
,
266
Tutte, W. T.
230
,
332
n
Twinn, Peter
151
,
161
,
193
,
195
types, logical theory of
85
,
92
,
119
;
AMT describes
215
;
further work on
355
,
428
,
454
,
479
,
491
,
494
typewriters, typing, AMT poor at
14
,
145
,
279
,
283
Typex l65,
166
,
262
U-boats
see
Atlantic, battle of
Ulam, S.
129
,
145
Underhill, F.
128
United States of America:
early impact of
11
,
86
,
95
;
AMT’s prejudices
116
;
war changes relation with Britain
222
,
235–6
,
263
;
AMT is vital British liaison with
244
,
247
;
is cleared for innermost secrets of
245
, note
5.4
;
AMT in second place to
305
;
AMT sees as crude in problem-solving
352
;
further changes of relations
364
,
386
,
393
,
506–7
;
AMT as American problem
508–9
;
see also
Princeton; Bell Laboratories; Harvard, for AMT’s visits
see also
EDVAC, for origin of computer in
Universal Turing Machine
102–3
,
109–10
,
124
,
181
n;
related to computer
293–5
,
297
,
303–4
,
307
;
AMT’s own references
318–21
,
360
,
381
n
Uttley, A.
349–50
,
411
valve, electronic
see
electronic
Vernam, G. S., Vernam ciphers
228
,
246
,
270
vetting, positive
502
,
502
n,
511
‘Victor’
see
Beuttell, Victor F.
Vienna
150–1
,
193
,
264
violin, AMT plays
89
,
414
,
452
,
463
Virginia
142
Vocoder
245–6
,
274
,
290
voice, AMT’s strange
24
,
61
,
68
,
209
,
249
,
396
von Neumann, John:
background
86
,
95
;
contact with AMT
95
,
117–8
,
124
,
126
,
129–32
,
145
n,
355
,
413
, note
2.36
, note
5.26
;
offers AMT post
144–5
;
compared with AMT
95
,
441
,
519
;

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