Alan Turing & the Machine that Imagined Computers
1912 – 1954 · mathematician, code-breaker, founder of computer science
In 1936, at just 24, Turing imagined a simple device — an endless tape, a head that reads and writes, a handful of states — and proved it could compute anything that can be computed. That idea became every computer you have ever touched. He went on to break Enigma and help end a war, then was persecuted for who he loved. A genius who deserved far better. Below, watch his machine come alive — and hear it think.
“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.” — A. M. Turing, 1950
Increments a binary number on the tape by 1, carrying bits from right to left.
Tape & Read/Write Head
20/s
Use _ for blank. Head starts at position 0.
State Transition Table
| State | Read | Write | Move | Next State |
|---|
State Diagram
Current State
Accept / HALT
Reject
Other States
Step History
Load a preset or press Step to begin.
Hear It Think — Sound of Computation
♪ G · 392 Hz
Click Enable sound (browsers require a tap first), then run the machine: each step rings a note —
reads, writes and HALT each have their own voice. Tap the G to hear a clean 392 Hz tone.
Play the Tape — G-major instrument
Keys A S D F G H J K · the gold key is G.