Alan Turing wore many scientific hats in his lifetime: a code-breaker in World War II, a prophetic figure of artificial intelligence (AI), a pioneer of theoretical biology, and a founding figure of theoretical computer science. While the former of his roles continue to catch the fancy of popular culture, his fundamental contribution to the development of computing as a mathematical discipline is possibly where his significant scientific impact persists to date.
Turing’s work emerged from a long legacy in the history of ideas and tools. From the times of the Sumerian abacus, we have a recorded history of attempts to create tools which could simulate at least certain aspects of human reasoning. For the most part of history, they remained rather rudimentary in technology and limited mostly to arithmetical calculations.
Leibniz’s calculator
In 1694, the German polymath Gottfried Wilfred Leibniz invented a mechanical calculator which could perform all four arithmetical operations called the Stepped Reckoner. It may be noteworthy that this invention preceded the industrial revolution and the invention
— source thewire.in | T.V.H. Prathamesh | 23/Jun/2023