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The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science Paperback – July 15, 1993

by A. K. Dewdney (Author)

30 customer reviews

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No other volume provides as broad, as thorough, or as accessible an introduction to the realm of computer science as A. K. Dewdney's The Turing Omnibus.

For everyone from the curious beginner to the working professional, The New Turing Omnibus offers 66 concise, brilliantly written mathematically oriented articles on the major points of interest in computer science theory, technology, and applications. Foundational for this tour: information on algorithms, detecting primes, noncomputable functions, and self-replicating computers--plus fundamental sections on the Mandelbrot set, genetic algorithms, the Newton-Raphson Method, neural networks that learn, DOS systems for personal computers, and computer viruses.

The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science

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Editorial Reviews

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“Wonderfully concise discussions . . . full of wit . . . It is nearly the perfect book for the noncomputer scientists who want to learn something about the field.” ―Nature

“Recommended as a general topics source for anyone interested in computer science. Dewdney's use of unusual and practical examples and illustrations to explain the material makes his very readable prose even better.” ―Choice

“A useful book of worthwhile diversions.” ―Computer Books Review

About the Author

A. K. Dewdney teaches computer science at the University of Western Ontario.

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Product Details

Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; Reprint edition (July 15, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805071660
ISBN-13: 978-0805071665
Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1 x 9.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #369,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #242 in Books > Computers & Technology > Networking & Cloud Computing > Networks, Protocols & APIs > Networks
- #254 in Books > Computers & Technology > Networking & Cloud Computing > Data in the Enterprise
- #951 in Books > Engineering & Transportation > Engineering > Telecommunications & Sensors

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4.1 out of 5 stars

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4 star		20%
3 star		3%
2 star		17%
1 star		4%

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Top Customer Reviews

Brain Dessert

ByStephen Riveson April 1, 2003

Format: Paperback

Dewdney is one of the most stimulating writers on applied thinking and computer science that I have had the pleasure to read. Where the standard CS textbooks are most stale, Dewdney is the most provocative. He illuminates the dark corners of abstract thought with practical puzzles and plain language. This book is written in small bite size chapters that grow in complexity around multiple ideas, one being the idea of the state machine (if you don't know what a state machine is, don't fret, Dewdney is here to help). For us programmers, he gives enough information to actually implement the algorithms and explore the universe he envisions. I was able to take two of his pages and use it as a coding exercise that turned out to be quite enjoyable.
The appeal to Dwedney and his book stems from the fact that everything he writes is game-like or puzzle-oriented; while reading him one gets the feeling that an enlightened child is guiding the learned to a new level of thinking. Dewdney takes Computer Science on an enjoyable walk through a park where he ends up teaching the discipline to rethink shortest paths and non-intersecting traversals. What's more amazing about this book is that it is perfectly suited for a coffee table where the uninitiated could accidentally pick it up and join the conversation. That is, a degree in computer science is not a prerequisite to this fascinating read. It is brain dessert.

0Comment 31 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

This is an excellent overview of topics in Computer Science.

ByAlex Mikhailon July 21, 1999

This book provides an excellent overview (or review) of theoretical Computer Science. If there are any of you who think that the high end of computer science is another form of mathematics, then this book is for you. If you think that computer science is just programming then maybe you should take a look at this book as well. After reading this book you will have a good overview of the "science" of computer science. I find too often that most of the undergraduate books in computer science tend to focus on the software engineering side of the field. When you finish this book, you will have been exposed to everything from genetic algorithms to Godel's theorem. The book covers advanced topics such as natural language thoery, but still introduces them on an introductory level. This book is still a little tough for those who have only studied programming. However, any computer scince major (or someone with the equivelent exposure to CS) would find this book to be an excellent reference and review of the things he (or she) would have missed or forgotten in their studies. Incidently, the book presents problems (no solutions, what's new) and refrences at the end of each chapter for further study.
The bottom line is this: This book is the closest thing to a hybrid textbook/encylcopedia of computer science. It covers almost every imaginable topic in computer science and should be on every CS major's bookshelf.

0Comment 19 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

From 6 to 666 hours to understand

ByGary Sprandelon April 10, 2004

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

What you get out of the book depends upon how much you want to put into in. A reader of this book, could decide to just understand the general ideas, follow the detailed mathematics, or perhaps program on a computer (for example sorting routines, hashing and the like). Each of the excursions is well covered, sometimes witty, but at times I got bogged-down in the symbols. The chapter on "analog computation" coming in the middle of a book was a welcome relief presenting ideas of sorting, shortest path and minimum trees using spaghetti and strings without mathematics (and would be a good chapter to give to non-computer science friends if they ever make the mistake of asking you what sort of problems you think about). The chapter on neural networks, I thought was also clear. There are also some of the classic computer science problems presented such as the Tower of Hanoi, or "A man ponders how to ferry a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across of river".

The 66 excursions cover a lot of ground, but often return to Turing machines, finite-state machines, and NP-completeness problems. I might have enjoyed more on algorithm analysis, computer languages, and game analysis. Additionally there are new topics since this 1992 publication, such as quantum computing, Bioinformatics, Internet related topics on virus and encrypting, and a raft of social questions including privacy. I hope the "Turing omnibus" refuels for another update.

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Good overview of the basic ideas

ByAmazon Customeron November 5, 2006

Format: Paperback

The New Turing Omnibus is a gentle pass over many of the abstract concepts of computer science. It focuses on concepts, so if you want to learn to program in a given language, or if you want to master your Windows or Linux OS, look elsewhere. However, it does review all of the theoretical matters, from automata to logic maps, algorithmic analysis and beyond. It is a great read for a budding Computer Scientist, Electrical Engineer or Mathematician. Ideal readers would be younger students in Math or CompSci who want a gentle introduction to the real underlying concepts that govern all of Computer Science. Definatly a must for all CompSci book shelves.

0Comment 12 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

This is the best bathroom reading book I've ever found

BySean Headon April 27, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is the best bathroom reading book I've ever found. Even after a tech heavy high school career and 4 years of CS in college, no one thought I needed to know physical heuristics to NP algorithms or 10 lines of code needed to display a fractal, etc.

Really love this book, highly recommended. Some essays are easy and can be casually cruised through in 5 minutes, others are very tech heavy and you'll need external research books to be able to get through the barely explained equations (esp. Art of Computer Programming), but they are all very interesting to learn about.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most Recent Customer Reviews

Great service!

psyched to read! Great service!

Published 6 months ago by Awhat

A little dry

I was so excited because this book came by recommendation of a number of my colleagues but turns out it's actually pretty dry.Read more

Published 1 year ago by sam

A must read for anyone interested in computers.

I read this book cover to cover in one evening. It's such a fun read and introduced so many concepts.Read more

Published 1 year ago by Peteris Krumins

Disappointed

This book was on the recommended reading list for prospective computer science students, however it's nothing of that sort.Read more

Published 1 year ago by Caspian

Five Stars

Excellent book. Covers math and computer science concepts in a practical and fun way.

Published 1 year ago by david martin

Not really worth it

Out of the 66 chapters, you'll probably find a few that are interesting enough to justify getting the book, but you'll probably find most of the chapters a waste of time.Read more

Published on February 12, 2014 by Corey

Little cohesion, random thoughts no real level (advanced or novice)

There are some interesting tidbits here, but you have to wade through a lot to get to them. Also, it is obvious the book is just a bunch of articles pasted together, and there is...Read more

Published on December 27, 2013 by Daylight Reviews

Son thinks it's great

this was a gift for my computer loving son who says he was very pleased to get it. Amazon saved me the trouble of hunting through the very limited pool of remaining bookstores.

Published on June 25, 2013 by Patti of Gaithersburg, MD

Great Book for CS Concepts

Love this book - even though it is fairly old (in Computer Science years) it is still relevant. It covers many of the CS concepts we take for granted today.Read more

Published on May 21, 2013 by Matt Withum

A lot of promise, but disappointing delivery

This book has a lot of promise, and the premise is a good one: providing capsule overviews of 66 different areas of Computer Science.Read more

Published on May 16, 2011 by Tom Emerson

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The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science Paperback – July 15, 1993

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