A. K. Dewdney

66 Excursions in Computer Science

The (new) Turing Omnibus

Acclaim for "In today's world, 'innumeracy' is an even greater danger than illiteracy, and is perhaps even more common. Advertisers and politicians exploit it; intellectuals (self-styled) even flaunt it. I hope that this wise and witty book will provide cures where they are possible, and warnings where they are necessary. "It's also a lot of fun. I can guarantee that 100%."--Arthur C. Clarke "Dewdney retells with charm and wit magnificent morsels of mathematical mayhem discovered by his army of volunteer 'abuse detectives.' From 'sample trashing' to 'numerical terrorism,' from 'percentage pumping' to 'dimensional dementia,' 200% of Nothing plumbs the depths of innumeracy in daily life and reveals what ordinary people can do about it. A rich, readable, instructive, and persuasive book."--Lynn Arthur Steen, Professor of Mathematics, St. Olaf College

An Eye-Opening Tour through the Twists and Turns of Math Abuse and Innumeracy

200% of Nothing

Essays discuss computer programs dealing with fractals, mathematical problems, artificial intelligence, one dimensional computers, puzzles, simulation, and core wars

An Exploration of Computer Worlds

The Armchair Universe

"Beyond Reason explores these barriers and the theories that give them form and substance. We shall apparently never travel faster than the speed of light, nor shall we ever build a perpetual motion machine that performs useful work. After laying the foundations of each theory, illuminated by stories of the scientists who discovered them, A. K. Dewdney then goes on to ask "What if?" Is there a way out? Are there no secret passages through these walls?"--BOOK JACKET.

Eight Great Problems That Reveal the Limits of Science

Beyond Reason

A mind-bending excursion to the limits of science and mathematics Are some scientific problems insoluble? In Beyond Reason, internationally acclaimed math and science author A. K. Dewdney answers this question by examining eight insurmountable mathematical and scientific roadblocks that have stumped thinkers across the centuries, from ancient mathematical conundrums such as "squaring the circle," first attempted by the Pythagoreans, to G?del's vexing theorem, from perpetual motion to the upredictable behavior of chaotic systems such as the weather. A. K. Dewdney, PhD (Ontario, Canada), was the author of Scientific American's "Computer Recreations" column for eight years. He has written several critically acclaimed popular math and science books, including A Mathematical Mystery Tour (0-471-40734-8); Yes, We Have No Neutrons (0-471-29586-8); and 200% of Nothing (0-471-14574-2).

Leads a review of math history from Greek mathematician Pythagoras on, stopping at various points to examine the mystery of which came first: the laws of math or the universe

Discovering the Truth and Beauty of the Cosmos

A Mathematical Mystery Tour

A mind-bending excursion to the limits of science andmathematics Are some scientific problems insoluble? In Beyond Reason,internationally acclaimed math and science author A. K. Dewdneyanswers this question by examining eight insurmountablemathematical and scientific roadblocks that have stumped thinkersacross the centuries, from ancient mathematical conundrums such as"squaring the circle," first attempted by the Pythagoreans, toG?del's vexing theorem, from perpetual motion to the upredictablebehavior of chaotic systems such as the weather. A. K. Dewdney, PhD (Ontario, Canada), was the author of ScientificAmerican's "Computer Recreations" column for eight years. He haswritten several critically acclaimed popular math and sciencebooks, including A Mathematical Mystery Tour (0-471-40734-8); Yes,We Have No Neutrons (0-471-29586-8); and 200% of Nothing(0-471-14574-2).

This introductory text provides both a foundation in a popular programming language (Turbo PASCAL) and an introduction to the principles and applications of the field. It stresses applications that demonstrate computers' many roles in our lives

Bits of Theory, Bytes of Practice

Introductory Computer Science

From a distance the Tinkertoy computer resembles a childhood fantasy gone wild or, as one of the group members remarked, a spool-and-stick version of the 'space slab' from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Unlike the alien monolith, the computer plays a mean game of tic-tac-toe. A Tinkertoy framework called the read head clicks and clacks its way down the from the the monolith. At some point the clicking mysteriously stops; a 'core piece' within the framework spins and then with a satisfying 'kathunk' indirectly kicks an 'output duck, ' a bird-shaped construction. The output duck swings down from its perch as that its beak points at a number--which identifies the computer's next move in a game of tic-tac-toe.

The Tinkertoy Computer and Other Machinations

"No other volume provides as broad, as thorough, or as accessible an introduction to the realm of computers as A.K. Dewdney's The Turing Omnibus. Updated and expanded, The Turing Omnibus offers 66 concise, brilliantly written articles on the major points of interest in computer science theory, technology, and applications. New for this tour: updated information on algorithms, detecting primes, noncomputable functions, and self-replicating computers--plus completely new sections on the Mandelbrot set, genetic algorithms, the Newton-Raphson Method, neural networks that learn, DOS systems for personal computers, and computer viruses."--Book cover.

Discusses chaos, computer viruses, fractal worlds, prototype computers, and artificial landscapes, and includes suggestions for a variety of interesting computer programs

A Handbook of Computer Sorcery

The Magic Machine

Discusses a variety of topics in computer science, from cryptography and recursion to artificial intelligence and simulation

61 Excursions in Computer Science

The Turing Omnibus

Recounts eight scientific flops of the twentieth century, where scientists let their convictions outrun basic scientific methods

A. K. Dewdney

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