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A '''Turing machine''' is a theoretical representation of a [[computer]], as imagined by [[Alan Turing]], the founding father of modern [[computer science]]. Computer programs and [[algorithm]]s are represented by a tape that is fed into the machine. The machine then executes the instructions on the tape.

A '''Turing machine''' is a theoretical representation of a [[computer]], as formulated by [[Alan Turing]], the founding father of modern [[computer science]]. In a Turing machine, the data (including, in some cases, the encoding of the program) are represented by symbols on a potentially infinite tape. The tape is read and written by a hypothetical "state machine".

Turing machines are useful because they do not suffer from physical limitations such as [[memory]] allocation, [[processor]] speed, or power usage. However, they may encounter problems executing certain programs; predicting when this happens is the idea behind the [[halting problem]].

Turing machines are an artifice for theoretical discussions of such issues as computability, universality, and the so-called  [[halting problem]].

 

Turing machines are never actually built, except possibly as jokes.

[[Category:Computer Science]]

[[Category:Computer Science]]