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The Church-Turing Thesis: Computability and Complexity

The document discusses the history and formalization of algorithms. It explains that Alan Turing and Alonzo Church independently formalized the definition of algorithms in the 1930s by developing the Turing machine and lambda calculus models, respectively. The Church-Turing thesis states that a problem can be solved by an algorithm if and only if it can be solved by a Turing machine. The thesis provides a precise definition of algorithms and computability.

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herzorg
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2K views

The Church-Turing Thesis: Computability and Complexity

The document discusses the history and formalization of algorithms. It explains that Alan Turing and Alonzo Church independently formalized the definition of algorithms in the 1930s by developing the Turing machine and lambda calculus models, respectively. The Church-Turing thesis states that a problem can be solved by an algorithm if and only if it can be solved by a Turing machine. The thesis provides a precise definition of algorithms and computability.

Uploaded by

herzorg
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Computability and Complexity

The Church-Turing Thesis


What is an algorithm? “a rule for solving a mathematical problem in
a finite number of steps”…Chambers’ Dictionary

“process or rules for (esp. machine) calculation” Oxford dictionary

“Algorithm”..from al-Khwarazmi (“a native of Khwarazm”) - the


9th Century mathematician Abu Ja’far Mohammed ben Musa

Algorithms pre-date Al-Khwarazmi..eg Euclid’s Algorithm (gcf)


Eratosthenes’ Sieve (primes)

In the late 19th Century, a problem exercising mathematicians was


one of those posed by Hilbert:

Computability and Complexity


Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

briefly.. “Is there a Universal Algorithm which can solve all


Mathematical problems?”..attempts to find one failed..
..so perhaps there isn’t one..

.. can we prove there is no universal algorithm?

.. we need to be able to define an algorithm precisely so as


to prove properties of algorithms

a formalism of algorithms should be..


• precise and unambiguous
• simple
• general

Computability and Complexity


Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

Formalisms for Algorithms


By the 1930s the emphasis was on formalising algorithms

Alan Turing, at Cambridge, devised an abstract machine now called


a Turing Machine to define/represent algorithms

Alonso Church, at Princeton, devised the Lambda Calculus which


formalises algorithms as functions..more later in the course.

neither knew of the other’s work in progress..both published in 1936

the demonstrated equivalence of their formalisms strengthened


both their claims to validity, expressed as the Church-Turing Thesis..

Computability and Complexity


Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

Turing Machines: precise ÷


simple ÷
general ?

the Church-Turing Thesis:


“a problem can be solved by an algorithm iff it can be solved by a
Turing Machine”

Turing Machines implement algorithms

all algorithmically solvable problems can be solved by a Turing


Machine

Computability and Complexity


Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

“a function is computable iff it can be solved by a Turing Machine”

“ an algorithm is what a Turing Machine implements”

Thesis not Theorem:

because we cannot prove this..


with a counter example we could disprove it
(but this has not been done).

we can show supporting evidence for the validity of the thesis

Computability and Complexity


Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

the Church-Turing Thesis: types of evidence

• large sets of Turing-Computable functions


many examples…no counter-examples

• equivalent to other formalisms for algorithms


Church’s l calculus and others

• intuitive - any detailed algorithm for manual calculation can


be implemented by a Turing Machine.
via Turing Machine implementation of mechanical methods

Computability and Complexity


Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

A Turing Machine
Symbols from alphabet ∑
‘blank’ symbol

Tape
a b a ^ 3 ^

0 1 2 3 4 5

{
square number
(not visible to TM) starting state
state set Q
final states

{
instruction table d Turing Machine Head

Computability and Complexity


Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

A Turing Machine Run

Start: • in initial state


• head over square 0
• finite number of non-blank symbols at start of tape
rest of tape blank - contains ^
A run is a step-by-step
computation:
• reads symbol on current square
• writes a symbol from alphabet ∑ to current square
• moves left 1 square, right 1 square or does not move
•enters a new state
..according to…
Computability and Complexity
Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

..the Instruction Table:

depending on • current state


• symbol in current square

the table gives • symbol to write


• direction to move
• new state

the Instruction Table, d, is the program of the Turing Machine


also called the d-function:

d(current-state,current-symbol) = (new-state, new-symbol, move)


Computability and Complexity
Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

Stop: the run stops when..


a) it reaches a final, or halting state:
• the TM stops (halts) and succeeds.
• the output is the tape contents from square 0 up
to (but not including) the first ^

or b) the pair (current-state,current-symbol) is not in the


instruction table (“no applicable instruction”):
• the TM halts and fails
• the output is undefined

or c) the head tries to move left from square 0:


• the TM halts and fails
• the output is undefined
OR..the TM may not halt..it loops or runs forever
Computability and Complexity
Lecture 2
Computability and Complexity

A Turing Machine
Symbols from alphabet ∑
‘blank’ symbol

Tape
a b a ^ 3 ^

0 1 2 3 4 5

{
square number
(not visible to TM) starting state
state set Q
final states

{
instruction table d Turing Machine Head

Computability and Complexity


Lecture 2

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