ABSTRACT

The breathtakingly rapid pace of change in computing makes it easy to overlook the pioneers who began it all. The Universal Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turing explores the fascinating lives, ideas, and discoveries of seven remarkable mathematicians. It tells the stories of the unsung heroes of the computer age – the logicians.

 

chapter 1|14 pages

Leibniz’s Dream

chapter 2|16 pages

Boole Turns Logic into Algebra

chapter 3|14 pages

Frege: From Breakthrough to Despair

chapter 4|24 pages

Cantor: Detour through Infinity

chapter 5|18 pages

Hilbert to the Rescue

chapter 6|33 pages

Gödel Upsets the Applecart

chapter 7|31 pages

Turing Conceives the All-Purpose Computer

chapter 8|17 pages

Making the First Universal Computers

chapter 9|12 pages

Beyond Leibniz’s Dream