What is Computation?

Disclaimer: This is an ongoing and incomplete project to unpack these concepts and serves as my exosomatic memory.

• What is Computation?
  • Objectives
  • Definitions
    • Formal Classification Scheme
    • Foundations
    • Invention | Discovery
  • Learning Order
  • Dependencies
  • Setup Instructions
  • History
  • Tools
  • State Of The Art
  • Community
  • Computer Scientists
  • Testing
  • References
  • Legend

Objectives

• An attempt at distilling to layman's terms:
  • Computation.
  • Computation's Foundations and Invention | Discovery.
  • Computation's Relationship with Logic and Mathematics.

Definitions

• def computation¹: the transformation of sequences of symbols by precise rules(Konrad, 2015:6).

• def computation²: The evolution process of some environment, by a sequence of "simple, local" steps (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy).

• def computation³: the execution of a list of steps to do something.

Formal Classification Scheme

• ACM

Foundations

• Theoretical Basis
• Formal Science
• Philosophy

Invention | Discovery

Learning Order

• 0_theory_of_computation
  • 0_logic
  • 1_formal_languages_and_automata_theory
  • 2_models_of_computation
  • 3_computational_complexity_and_cryptography
• 1_mathematics_of_computing
• 0_theory_of_computation/4_design_and_analysis_of_algorithms
• 2_hardware
• 3_computer_systems_organization
• 4_software_and_its_engineering
  • 1_general_programming_languages
    • 0_assembly_languages
    • 1_imperative_languages
    • 2_functional_languages
    • 3_multiparadigm_languages

Dependencies

• Docker

Setup Instructions

• The repository is configured to use devcontainers for development.
  It requires no setup except an editor that supports devcontainers, which will prompt you on first open to start it in a container.
  • Supported Editors
  • Developing inside a Container

History

• The Modern History of Computing
• Timeline of Computer History

Tools

• Theoretical CS Visualizer
• Reverse Engineering
• Know Thy Complexities!

State Of The Art

• Quanta Magazine
• MIT EECS
• Development
• Architecture & Design
• AI, ML & Data Engineering
• AI, ML & Data Engineering
• Culture & Methods
• DevOps

Community

Computer Scientists

• The Academic Genealogy of Computer Science
• ACM A.M. Turing Award Laureate Interviews
• Alan Turing
• Alonzo Church
• Donald Knuth
• Erik Demaine
• Jelani Nelson
• Katherine Johnson
• Grace Hopper
• Frances Elizabeth Allen

Testing

• Execute Tests

  pytest

• Spell Check

pyspelling -c spellcheck.yaml

References

• Konrad H. 2015. Computation in Science. Morgan & Claypool Publishers.
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Church-Turing Thesis.

Legend

Q: Question for later research
MYINC: My Insight/Conjecture [Could Be Unoriginal/False and Likely Is]
see: ...: Points to the definition of a concept used in another definition.