The Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour through Alan Turing's Historic Paper on Computability and the Turing Machine

Historical Context and Significance

Charles Petzold's book «The Annotated Turing» provides a detailed commentary on Alan Turing's famous work «On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem», published in 1936. Turing's work laid the groundwork for the theory of computability and the concept of algorithms, ultimately leading to the development of modern computing and computer science. In his book, Petzold not only explains Turing's complex mathematical ideas but also places them in historical context, showing how these ideas influenced the advancement of technology and science. The book fosters a deeper understanding of Turing's contributions to science and his impact on contemporary society, making his ideas accessible to a wide audience. It also emphasizes the importance of an interdisciplinary approach, combining mathematics, logic, and philosophy, which in turn stimulates interest in the history of computing and its cultural significance.