In computer science, a universal Turing machine (UTM) is a Turing machine that can simulate an arbitrary Turing machine on arbitrary input. The universal machine essentially achieves this by reading both the description of the machine to be simulated as well as the input thereof from its own tape. Alan Turing introduced this machine in 1936–1937. This model is considered by some (for example, Martin Davis (2000)) to be the origin of the stored program computer—used by John von Neumann (1946) for the "Electronic Computing Instrument" that now bears von Neumann's name: the von Neumann architecture. It is also known as universal computing machine, universal machine (UM), machine U, U.
In terms of computational complexity, a multi-tape universal Turing machine need only be slower by logarithmic factor compared to the machines it simulates.
Read more about Universal Turing Machine: Introduction, Stored-program Computer, Mathematical Theory, Efficiency, Smallest Machines, Example of Universal-machine Coding
Famous quotes containing the words universal and/or machine:
“All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“Above all, however, the machine has no feelings, it feels no fear and no hope ... it operates according to the pure logic of probability. For this reason I assert that the robot perceives more accurately than man.”
—Max Frisch (1911–1991)