ABSTRACT
Computers can help solve a very wide range of problems. In recent history, we have come to rely heavily on computers in everyday life, from e-mail to ATMs to weather forecasts to car manufacturing. On the other hand, computers have been unable to give signi–cant assistance in certain other areas, such as reliably and consistently predicting the stock market. What makes a computer helpful in some areas and not in others? To fully understand when and how computers can help us, we need to consider what types of activities computers are good at and then look at our own needs. When our needs match the strengths of computers, then computers o¤en can help us in our work. When we want to accomplish tasks that are beyond the abilities of computers, however, they may not be of much help. (We will even identify a task that can be shown to be unsolvable by computers.) Overall in this chapter, we will look at what types of activities computers can help us with and what types of tasks are outside the capabilities of today’s computers.
