Mathematician's Work Lives On In Everyday Life

Keith Devlin (Stanford University) talks with National Public Radio’s Scott Simon about Alan Turing’s legacy on NPR Weekend Edition.

When asked “Where do you see Alan Turing in our lives today?” Devlin responded:

Oh, wow. I see it every time I pull the iPhone out of my pocket, because that's an instantiation of what in 1936 he proved was possible. You know, I think it about 1999 or 2000 that Time magazine named Turing one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century because of his role in creating the computer. I would probably put him in the top 50 because of the impact that computers have had on our lives on a large scale and on a very local and personal scale.

Listen to the full interview or read the transcript here.

Source: NPR Weekend Edition

Turing was born on June 23, 1912. To celebrate his life and work, 2012 has been dubbed “The Alan Turing Year." Visit the “The Alan Turing Year" website for events and more information.