Do computers think? Some experts say yes, some say no. —Time magazine, Jan. 23, 1950 How do we tell whether a machine thinks? Much of today’s discussion of the matter starts with British computer ...

This week we’ll venture in the realm of theory for a change, starting with Turing machines. In case some of you don’t know what a Turing machine is, here is the Wikipedia definition: “A theoretical ...

The goal of the “busy beaver” game is to find the longest-running computer program. Its pursuit has surprising connections to some of the most profound questions and concepts in mathematics.