COS 116: The Computational Universe Adam Finkelstein Spring 2012COS 116: The Computational Universe Instructor: Adam Finkelstein TAs: Sema Berkiten & Sourindra Chaudhuri Labs Mon, Wed 7:30-10:20pm, Friend 009 This week only: take-home labAncient dream: Breathe life into matter Philippe Semeria Golem (Jewish mythology) CIMA museum Automaton (Europe) Frankenstein (Shelley 1818) Robot (Capek 1920)Breathe life into matter – Another perspectiveBreathe life into matter – A 20th century perspective Matter : Atoms, molecules, quantum mechanics, relativity … Life : Cells, nucleus, DNA, RNA, … Breathe life into matter : Computation One interpretation: Make matter do useful, interesting things on its ownBreathing life into matter… Military was a major sponsor of computational research in 20th centuryElectric Sheep Scott DravesComputational UniverseSome important distinctions Computer Science vs. Computer Programming (Java, C++, etc.) Notion of computation vs. Specific implementation (Silicon, robots, Xbox, etc.)Course not about programming! Not necessary for understanding More time for to cover computer science (broader than COS126!) Little advantage to those who have prior programming experienceBrief history of computation Technological: Clocks Clockwork “Automata” Mechanized looms, steam engines Vacuum tubes, electronic calculators (1910-1930’s) ENIAC (1945) von Neumann Computer (1949, Princeton)Brief history of computation Intellectual Ancient Greeks, philosophers (How to “formalize thought”) Boolean logic (G. Boole, 1815-1864) Crisis in math Hilbert: Call to systematize math Gödel: Incompleteness theorem Lambda calculus (A. Church, 1936) Turing machines (A. Turing, 1937) Both at Princeton; First clear notion of What is computation? Wang tiles 1961Computer Science: A new way of looking at the worldExample 1:Example 2: Public closed-ballot elections Hold an election in this room Everyone speaks publicly (no computers, email, etc.) End: everyone agrees on who won and margin No one knows how anyone else voted Is this possible? Yes! (A. Yao, Princeton)Example 3: Computational Biology Old Biology New Biology Microarrays PathwaysCOS 116 First 10 lectures: Cool things computers do and how Next 8 lectures: What’s inside, internet, silicon chips Last 6 lectures: Complexity, cryptography, viruses, search engines, artificial intelligenceThis weeks lab: Web 2.0 Take-home lab – see course web page. This week’s reading: Brooks pp 12-21, pp 32-51 See course web page.Grading Midterm: 15% Final: 35% Lab reports: 35% Participation (class, blog): 15% Attendance expected at lectures and labsNext couple labs: Scribbler. What determines its
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