Scientist of the day - Alan Turing

 

Alan Turing

Computers would probably have been non-existent if it wasn't for famous British mathematician, Alan Turing. Having been a child prodigy, he went on to pursue his PhD from the 'Princeton University'. Soon, he became an important member of a group of code-breakers in the 'Government Code and Cypher School' ('GC&CS') in Bletchley Park. He was given the daunting task of deciphering the ever-changing German codes sent through the ingenious machine, 'Enigma'. Alan proved the almost impossible task, possible with his 'bombe' device, which used a technique called 'Banburismus'. Eventually this mathematician and his team of code-breakers were successful in defeating the 'Enigma'. However, two code-breakers from his team were found out to be Soviet spies, and thus the work was declared highly confidential. For a long time, no records of Turing's work were available, and the 'Official Secrets Act' prohibited him from talking about his work to anyone. His homosexuality caused him to be convicted, though the British government has apologized posthumously in recent times. His works and life has recently been popularized by the ‘Academy Award’ winning movie, ‘The Imitation Game’, released in 2014. Read on and explore the life and works of this brilliant mathematician and code-breaker.  

Major Works

This scientist is known for having pioneered the concept of modern-day computers, by introducing the idea of a ‘Turing Machine’, which is simple, and yet capable of solving any form of algorithms that can be measured and quantified.

Personal Life & Legacy

• While studying at the 'Sherborne School', Alan befriended classmate Christopher Morcom, who the former fell in love with. The blossoming friendship abruptly ended when Morcom died of bovine tuberculosis.
• In 1941, he proposed to Joan Clarke, who was his colleague at Bletchley Park. The two got engaged, but the marriage was soon called off when Turing decided it was unfair getting married to Clarke despite being homosexual.
• At the age of 39, Alan got into a relationship with 19 year old, Arnold Murray. During a burglary investigation at the mathematician's house, personal details about his homosexuality came into light, and Alan was arrested on charges of indecency.
• After conviction in 1952, he was given a choice between hormonal castration using medicines or imprisonment. The ingenious logician chose medication so that he could continue his scientific work at home.
• On June 8, 1954, Alan was found poisoned at home, and after the autopsy, it was concluded that he had taken his own life by consuming large quantities of potassium cyanide.
• Several awards have been named after this mathematical genius, and many biographies have been penned, the most notable being by the 'Royal Society'.
• A novel, 'Cryptonomicon', by American writer, Neal Stephenson, published in 1999, refers to this famous mathematician.
• The 2014 movie, 'The Imitation Game', was featured on Alan's life, with British actor Benedict Cumberbatch playing the mathematician's role.
• Several universities have named rooms, buildings, and even computer programs, after the distinguished mathematician.

   

  Trivia

  This famous British mathematician was also a fast long-distance runner, who appeared for the 'British Olympic' try-outs in 1948. He lost out to famous runner Thomas Richards, falling short by a meagre 11 minutes.