Turing machine

noun

Tu·​ring machine ˈtu̇r-iŋ- How to pronounce Turing machine (audio)
ˈtyu̇r-
: a hypothetical computing machine that by using only a limited set of very simple computational steps is able to perform any task for which an efficiently computable algorithm is known

Examples of Turing machine in a Sentence

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These states determine how the Turing machine acts with each input. Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 25 July 2024 Sure, that leaves infinitely many such groups, since a Turing machine can have any number of rules. Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 2 July 2024 The field dates back to 1936, when Alan Turing first imagined a fanciful device, now called a Turing machine, that could perform any computation by reading and writing symbols on an infinite tape. Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 The hardware implementation of a Turing machine can be organized around a rule book and a notepad. IEEE Spectrum, 27 May 2023 Another notable and increasingly useful variant is the probabilistic Turing machine. Sheon Han, Quanta Magazine, 3 May 2023 The modern notion of an algorithm, known as a Turing machine, was formulated in 1936 by British mathematician Alan Turing. Jie Wang, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2023 The Turing machine is the template all computers today are based on. Jie Wang, The Conversation, 30 Jan. 2023 The Turing machine was a prophetic vision of modern computers. WIRED, 3 Nov. 2022

Word History

Etymology

A. M. Turing †1954 English mathematician

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Turing machine was in 1937

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Cite this Entry

“Turing machine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Turing%20machine. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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