In 2009, as a result of a public mobilization, Prime Minister Gordon Brown apologized on behalf of the British Government for the harassment suffered by Turing. However, in 2012, the British Parliament refused to pardon the scientist, claiming that homosexuality – at the time the events occurred – was considered a criminal offence.
Turing machine
The Turing Machine is one of the most beautiful and intriguing intellectual discoveries of the 20th century. A simple and useful abstract model of computation (and digital computers) that is general enough to embody any computer program. It forms the foundation of theoreti-
cal computer science. Because of its simple description and behavior, it is amenable to mathematical analysis. This analysis has led to a deeper understanding of digital computers and computation; including the revelation that there are some computational problems that cannot be solved on computers at 31
all, no matter how fast the processor, or how much memory is available. Turing sought to describe the most primitive model of a mechanical device that had the same basic capabilities as a human. The machine consists of the following components: