159 quintillion different possible settings, which changed at midnight every night. Instead of trying possible settings, Alan instead created a machine known as the ’ Bombe ’, which was based on the Polish machine, the ‘ Bomba ’. It was a machine that was made not to think like a human, but to go further and try more than a human
ever could. Do not ask me how it works, because I have no idea. It cracked the Enigma code, that allowed the Allies to triumph quicker, and with fewer casualties. Eventually, he was found guilty of being gay, and took his life. He influenced our perception of computers and pioneered the creation of AI and Computer Science. He is not remembered today as he deserves to be, and he truly shaped the world.
An Enigma machine
Thank you for reading.
Thomas Hibbert
Antony Gormley ’ s memorial to Enigma code - breaker Alan Turing in Cambridge
47
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker