100 Moments That Rocked Computer Science

Alan Turing and Computable Numbers

Episode Summary

With the recent launch of the new £50 note featuring Alan Turing – what better time for us to be joined by his nephew, Sir Dermot Turing as he talks to Professor Sue Black OBE - who led the campaign to save Bletchley Park! Dermot provides a truly insightful background into his uncle’s computational model that created a brand new branch of mathematics and had such a lasting impact on computer science. He also discusses Turing’s remarkable code-breaking work at Bletchley Park in WW2 which helped to fundamentally shift the outcome of the conflict. Also in this episode, the team reveal how the Turing machine was the blueprint for the digital computer we all know and rely on so much today. You can email your suggestions for moments for Sue and Gordon to look at using 100moments@durham.ac.uk For those interested in studying Computer Science at Durham, visit https://www.durham.ac.uk/departments/academic/computer-science/ to find out how you can apply. If you enjoyed this episode please do three lovely things for us - like, subscribe and tell a friend! 100 Moments that Rocked Computer Science is a Why did the Chicken? production for Durham University.