To Halt Or Not To Halt? That Is The Question - Hardcover

Calude, Cristian S

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 981123227X ISBN 13: 9789811232275

Publisher: WSPC, 2024

Synopsis

This is a book about the "Halting Problem", arguably the most (in)famous computer-related problem: can an algorithm decide in finite time whether an arbitrary computer program eventually stops? This seems a dull, petty question: after all, you run the program and wait till it stops. However, what if the program does not stop in a reasonable time, a week, a year, or a decade? Can you infer that it will never stop? The answer is negative. Does this raise your interest? If not, consider these questions: Can mathematics be done by computers only? Can software testing be fully automated? Can you write an anti-virus program which never needs any updates? Can we make the Internet perfectly secure? Your guess is correct: the answer to each question is negative. The Halting Problem is "hidden" in many subjects, from logic (is mathematics free of contradictions?), physics (is quantum randomness perfect?), to philosophy (do humans have free will, or do our brains generate our thoughts and decisions in a deterministic way?) and quantum computing (why we don't have a quantum Halting Problem?) — this book will visit each of them. Written in an informal and thought-provoking language, supported with suggestive illustrations and applications and almost free of arcane mathematics (formal arguments are relegated to particular parts dedicated to the mathematically-oriented reader), the book will stimulate the curiosity and participation of the reader interested in the consequences of the limits of computing and in various attempts to cope with them.

About this title

About the Author

Cristian S Calude holds a personal chair in computer science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Calude had visiting professorships in many universities and research institutes including University of Cambridge, École Normale Supérieure Paris, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Sandia National Laboratories, IBM, Google and Microsoft research units. He has published more than 300 articles and 45 books in discrete mathematics, theoretical computer science, quantum computing and randomness. He is a member of the editorial boards of a dozen of international journals, including Theoretical Computer Science, Springer Nature Journal of Computer Science and Mathematical Structures in Computer Science. Calude was awarded many prizes and distinctions, including the National Order of Faithful Service in the Degree of Knight (Romania, 2019), STOC 2017 Best Paper Award (USA) and was elected to Academia Europaea (2008).

Edition details

• Publisher: WSPC
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 981123227X
• ISBN 13: 9789811232275
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 332