1. The Turing Machine Rossella Travia March 29, 2004

2. The Turing Machine • The Turing Machine was first introduced in 1936 by Alan M. Turing. • It is traditionally known as being the foundation of the modern computer because of its ability to solve computable problems.

3. Components of the Machine • The three major components of the Turing machine are Tape, Read/Write Head, and Controller.

4. Tape • The tape is a sort of memory device that has infinite capacity. • It can hold an infinite number of characters in a sequence at any one time. • It only processes positive integer data represented in unary arithmetic • “101101” is read as “4” • Only the 1’s are read, not the 0’s

5. Read/Write Head • points to any one symbol at a time, which is called the current symbol. • The current symbol is read and then the respective actions is carried out by the controller • After reading, the head moves right,left,or even stays in its place. • All this is done under the commands of the controller

6. Controller • The theoretical counterpart of the CPU in modern computers • It is a finite state automaton • Machine that has a predetermined number of states • Moves from one state to another based on the input • Can be in any state at any time

7. Conclusion • Thanks to Turing, the journey to modern world of technology was accelerated…