Alan Turing's influence on the Computer Age

During the Second World War, people were computers, doing the messy engineering and maths calculations. In WW2, the British also needed mathematicians to crack the German Navy’s Enigma code.

The Enigma code was generated using 'Enigma', a type of enciphering machine used by the German armed forces to send messages securely. Because of the complexity of Enigma, the Germans made all sorts of communications using it, with the confidence it could not be broken, making it even more important for the British to solve it permanently. Although Polish mathematicians had worked out how to read Enigma messages and had shared this information with the British, the Germans made it even more complex by changing the cipher daily. This made it much harder to decode the cipher, given the fact that there were only 24 hours before you would be sent back to square 1, starting on a new key.

Turing was hired to solve this issue for the British, proving to be pivotal in helping the Allies in War. He presented a theoretical machine (called Bombe machines don't ask me why) that could solve any problem which could be described using simple instructions encoded on a paper tape. One could solve Sudoku puzzles whilst another might calculate square roots. Essentially, it was one machine solving any problem, performing any task which would be programmed. Sound familiar? He’d invented the computer. This idea, along with his developed code-breaking technique called 'Banburismus', allowed the Enigma machines (used by the Germans to encipher) to be reverse-engineered, resulting in the deciphering of Enigma.

The legacy of Alan Turing’s life and work didn't come to light until long after his death.

His role was pivotal in the development of theoretical computer science, providing use for the concepts of algorithm and computation. His Turing Machine can be considered a model of a computer and he himself the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. The work at Bletchley Park where Turing and his code-breaker companions worked on breaking the Enigma code was kept secret until the 1970s as to avoid enemies discovering the code had been broken. It's been estimated that the efforts of Turing and his companions shortened the war by several years. And it is certain that they saved countless lives and helped to determine the course and outcome of the conflict.

If you'd like to know more, I would suggest watching 'The Imitation Game' starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Sources:

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/how-alan-turing-invented-the-computer-age/

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-alan-turing-cracked-the-enigma-code

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing