The Development of Computers: The Turing Machine [1920-1939]

There were very large strides in the development of computers from 1920 to 1939. For that reason, we can find lots of valuable facts through tertiary sources like ChatGPT and Wikipedia on what these advancements looked like.

After asking ChatGPT, "What was happening in the development of computers from 1920 to 1939?" Different innovations are listed, such as Electromechanical Calculators, Punch Card Systems, Mechanical Analog Computers, and Early Digital Computers, and noting that World War II had a significant impact on the development of computing technologies.

This is a wide variety of examples of the innovations during this time period. However, one of the topics mentioned in ChatGPT's response that we will look at more in-depth will be one of the earliest digital computers, the Turing Machine (1936), and how it went from theoretical research to application.

The distinct idea of Turing Machines was coined by Alan Turing, a mathematician who lived from 1912 to 1954. Overall, we can get a general idea of the Turing Machine through Wikipedia. On the Turing Machine Wikipedia page, we learn that it is a mathematical model of computation that was known for its foundational ability to implement any computer algorithm and its capability to produce any computation. The only downside is its lack of fast mechanical computation power, but this was the computational model that many of the programming languages of today simulate. Meaning, this was very foundational in the area of programming and computer science.

Now one question we may ask is, "How seminal was the Turing Machine to today's technology?" We can try to list out different innovations built directly or closely related to it throughout the years, but instead, by the use of primary sources, we will view how the development outlook was of this innovation during that time.

The Turing Digital Archive has collected numerous manuscripts, publications, biographical documents, and more on Alan Turing and his work as a mathematician and early computer scientist. One of which is a manuscript collected by Dr. Robin Gandy, an associate of Turing, in which Turing goes on to explain how machines have the capability of intelligence. He notes that many may refute the idea because of the emotional connotations to the word 'intelligence' where people don't just see it as purely mathematical, but find it eerie in that: how can a machine replicate the works of man? However, he refutes these sentiments as he explains that this machinery will aid in helping compute cumbersome numbers that people would otherwise spend way too much time on.

He then goes on to talk about the specifics of computing such that, "The memory capacity of a machine more than anything else determines the complexity of its possible behavior" and the topic of a "Universal Logical Computing Machine" which the Turing Machine later reflects (Turing).

As for my primary source, I could've easily just showcased some diagrams and equations that Turing drew out himself describing the Turing Machine, but that would have been a lackluster artifact to the topic. To also explain what it all means would be like taking a computer science course.

I instead chose this manuscript specifically as it helps us understand the context of computational advancements during this time period. Through Turing's explanation, it can be deduced that the people in that time period were skeptical of machines doing the mathematical work people have always done themselves.

In fact, this outlook is relatable as it is still a view some have to today's technological advancements. In fact, the very source I used in the beginning, ChatGPT, has received so much criticism the moment the public had access to it, and it is now one that is slowly being normalized to use for just about any question one may have.

I found it interesting to bring up the interconnectedness of the manuscript to the actual innovation we noted because, though people were skeptical, it happened and it was adopted. Similarly to today, where people were skeptical about ChatGPT, but it has now been adopted as a kind of research tool. This will be a theme that is seen throughout the development of computers in the 20th century and will bring up another question, is there an ultimate end to technological advancement? Who knows. Though, as we've seen with the Turing Machine, where people thought we've reached the limit, we've actually only scratched the surface.