Simplest 'Universal Computer' Wins Student $25,000
New Scientist (10/24/07) Giles, Jim
University of Birmingham computer science student Alex Smith solved the simplest "universal computer" proof by proving that a simple mathematical calculator can be used as a "universal computing machine," earning a $25,000 prize. The proof involves a mathematical calculator known as a Turing machine, some of which are "universal computers" that given enough time and memory can solve almost any mathematical problem. In May 2007, mathematician Stephen Wolfram announced a contest to see if anyone could prove that the simplest Turing machine, a cellular automaton that uses just three different symbols in its calculations, is also a universal computer. Smith, who is 20 years old and knows 20 different programming languages, including six he describes as "esoteric," solved the proof by showing that the machine is equal to another mathematical device that is already known to be a universal computer. Wolfram says proving that even the simplest machine is capable of being a universal computer indicates that equally simple molecular versions could some day be the foundation for new kinds of computing. "We are also at the end of a quest that has spanned more than half a century to find the very simplest universal Turing machine," says Wolfram.
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