TURING COMPLETE Meaning and
Definition
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Turing complete is a term used in computer science to describe a system or programming language that has the computational power to solve any problem that can be solved by any other computer. It is based on the concept of the Turing machine, which is an abstract mathematical model of a computer that can perform any computation that can be described by an algorithm.
A system or programming language is considered Turing complete if it can simulate a Turing machine. This means that it must have the ability to perform tasks such as reading and writing data, storing and retrieving instructions, and executing algorithms. A Turing complete system is not limited by any specific set of operations or instructions and can solve problems of any complexity given enough time and resources.
Turing completeness is a significant milestone in the development of computing systems as it signifies the ability to solve a wide range of problems. It is often used as a benchmark to evaluate the power and versatility of different programming languages or computational systems. The concept of Turing completeness has played a pivotal role in the field of computer science, helping to establish fundamental principles and understand the limits of computability.
Etymology of TURING COMPLETE
The term "Turing complete" is derived from the name of the British mathematician and computer scientist, Alan Turing. Alan Turing is considered one of the pioneers in the field of computer science and is best known for his work on the concept of a universal computing machine, which became known as the Turing machine.
The term "complete" in "Turing complete" refers to the idea that a system or language is capable of performing any computation that can be described algorithmically. In other words, it can solve any problem that can be solved by a computer, given enough time and resources. A system that is Turing complete can simulate a Turing machine, meaning it can execute any program that a Turing machine can execute.
The term "Turing complete" was coined to describe programming languages or systems that have the same computational power as a Turing machine, capable of solving any problem that can be solved algorithmically.
