Difference between revisions of "CSC103: DT's Notes 1"
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So, in summary, we start seeing that computing, at least the medium chosen for where the computation takes place can be varied, and does not have to be silicon. Indeed, there exist many examples of computation devices that do not use electronics in silicon and can perform quite complex computation. In consequence, we should also be ready to find that new computers in ten, twenty or thirty years will not use semiconductors made of silicon, and may not use electrons to carry information that is controlled by transistors. In fact, it is highly probable that they won't [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictions_made_by_Ray_Kurzweil]. | So, in summary, we start seeing that computing, at least the medium chosen for where the computation takes place can be varied, and does not have to be silicon. Indeed, there exist many examples of computation devices that do not use electronics in silicon and can perform quite complex computation. In consequence, we should also be ready to find that new computers in ten, twenty or thirty years will not use semiconductors made of silicon, and may not use electrons to carry information that is controlled by transistors. In fact, it is highly probable that they won't [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictions_made_by_Ray_Kurzweil]. | ||
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| + | While the technology used in creating today's computer is the result of an evolution and choices driven by economic factors and scientific discoveries, among others, one thing we can be sure of is that whatever computing machine we devise and use to perform calculations, that machine will have to use rules of mathematics. It does not matter what technology we use to compute 2 + 2. The computer must follow strict rules and implement basic mathematical rules in the way it treats information. | ||
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| + | You may think that Math may be necessary for programs that, say, display a mathematical curve on the screen, or maintain a spreadsheet of numbers representing somebody's income tax return, but Math might probably not be required or involved in a video game where we control an avatar who moves in a virtual world. Or that the computer inside a modern data phone is probably not using laws of Mathematics for the great majority of what we du with it during the day. This couldn't be further from the truth. Figuring out where a tree should appear on the screen as our avatar is moving in its virtual space requires applying basic geometry in three dimensions. Our phone's ability to pin point its location as we're sitting in a caf&eaculte; sipping on a coffee, requires geometry again, figuring out how far we are from various signal towers for which the phone knows the exact location, and using triangulation techniques to find our place in relationship to them. | ||
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| + | So computers, because we need them to perform mathematical operations, must know the rules of mathematics. Whatever they do, they must do it in a way that maintains mathematical integrity. They must also be consistent and predictable. 2 + 2 computed today should yield the same result tomorrow, independent of which computer I use. | ||
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-while technology can be different, math is universal. | -while technology can be different, math is universal. | ||
Revision as of 06:48, 30 January 2012
