By considering the size of the logical network needed to perform a given computational task, the intrinsic difficulty of that task can be examined. Boolean function complexity, the combinatorial study of such networks, is a subject that started back in the 1950s and has today become one of the most challenging and vigorous areas of theoretical computer science. The papers in this book stem from the London Mathematical Society Symposium on Boolean Function Complexity held at Durham University in July 1990. The range of topics covered will be of interest to the newcomer to the field as well as the expert, and overall the papers are representative of the research presented at the Symposium. Anyone with an interest in Boolean Function complexity will find that this book is a necessary purchase.
When it was first published in 1972, Hubert Dreyfus's manifesto on the inherent inability of disembodied machines to mimic higher mental functions caused an uproar in the artificial intelligence comm
Here is an introduction to functional programming and its associated systems. A unique feature is its use of the language Haskell for teaching both the rudiments and the finer points of the functional technique. Haskell is a new, internationally agreed and accepted functional language that is designed for teaching, research and applications, that has a complete formal description, that is freely available, and that is based on ideas that have a wide consensus. Thus it encapsulates some of the main thrusts of functional programming itself, which is a style of programming designed to confront the software crisis directly. Programs written in functional languages can be built up from smaller parts, and they can also be proved correct, important when software has to be reliable. Moreover, a certain amount of parallelism can be extracted from functional languages automatically. This book serves as an introduction both to functional programming and Haskell, and will be most useful to student
The primary object of this manual is to build an understanding of the principles of computer operations and the use of computers in the laboratory. While the development of applications for computers has been rapid since their introduction, the principles of computer operation and their use in sensing and control have remained stable. Those are the primary subjects of this book, throughout which a gradual understanding of what goes on inside a computer is developed. The laboratory provides a vital experience in linking theory with physical reality, and all of the computer work is done in the context of doing experiments. The IBM-PC design is used as the basis for the book. The internal design of this machine is slightly more complicated than earlier personal computers, but it is still simple enough to be quickly learned. The computer can be directly controlled by proper programming, and offers considerably more power than earlier designs. The IBM design also has expansion slots which m
This textbook is designed as a first book on concurrent programming for computer science undergraduates, and provides a comprehensive introduction to the problems of concurrency. Concurrency is of vital importance in many areas of computer science, particularly in operating systems. It is also increasingly being taught in undergraduate courses. The book builds on the student's familiarity with sequential programming in a high level language, which will make it very accessible to computer science students. The book is concerned mainly with the high level aspects of concurrency, which will be equally applicable to traditional time sliced or more recent truly parallel systems.
This book is an introduction, for mathematics students, to the theories of information and codes. They are usually treated separately but, as both address the problem of communication through noisy channels (albeit from different directions), the authors have been able to exploit the connection to give a reasonably self-contained treatment, relating the probabilistic and algebraic viewpoints. The style is discursive and, as befits the subject, plenty of examples and exercises are provided. Some examples and exercises are provided. Some examples of computer codes are given to provide concrete illustrations of abstract ideas.
Computational Morphology is the first book to present an integrated set of techniques for the rigorous description of morphological phenomena in English and similar languages. Previous work on morphol
Designing Interaction, first published in 1991, presents a broadbased and fundamental re-examination of human-computer interaction as a practical and scientific endeavor. The chapters in this well-integrated, tightly focused book are by psychologists and computer scientists in industry and academia, who examine the relationship between contemporary psychology and human-computer interaction. HCI seeks to produce user interfaces that facilitate and enrich human motivation, action and experience; but to do so deliberately it must also incorporate means of understanding user interfaces in human terms - the province of psychology. Conversely, the design and use of computing equipment provides psychologists with a diverse and challenging empirical field in which to assess their theories and methodologies.
Artificial intelligence has recently turned to formal logic in the search for powerful yet well-behaved knowledge representation languages. This book covers the background of classical logic, including the major meta-theorems, and the state of the art in theorem proving including Bibel's connection method. Also covered are the advanced adaptations of classical logic now being used in artificial intelligence - temporal and modal logics, reason maintenance and intensional logic. First published in 1988, the book covers a wider range of topics than the currently available books in this area, and is more directly aimed at workers in artificial intelligence.
Computing developed as a branch of mathematics, only to drift away from this home as computer science diverged towards more general topics such as the theory of how a computer works. Recently the emphasis has become more mathematical and the new disciplines of software engineering and information technology have emerged. This book is designed to form the basis of a one year course in discrete mathematics for first year computer scientists or software engineers. The material presented covers much of undergraduate algebra with a particular bias towards the computing applications. Topics covered include mathematical logic, set theory, finite and infinite relations and mappings, graphs, graphical algorithms and axiom systems. It concludes with implementations of many of the algorithms in Modula-2 to illustrate how the mathematics may be turned into concrete calculations. Numerous examples and exercises are included with selected solutions to the problems appearing in the appendix. Discrete
The Art of Computer Systems Performance Analysis "At last, a welcome and needed text for computer professionals who require practical, ready-to-apply techniques for performance analysis. Highly recomm
In this 1991 book the author gives a broad overview of different areas of research in nonmonotonic reasoning, and presents some results and ideas based on his research. The guiding principles are: clarification of the different research activities in the area, which have sometimes been undertaken independently of each other, and appreciation of the fact that these research activities often represent different means to the same ends, namely sound theoretical foundations and efficient computation. The book begins with a discussion of the various types of nonmonotonic reasoning, their applications and their logics. Theorem proving techniques for these logics are also described. There then follow chapters dealing with formulations of nonmonotonic inheritance, and nonmonotonic reasoning based on nonmonotonic rules. The final chapter discusses the achievements in the field in the light of the famous Yale shooting example. The book will be welcomed by researchers in theoretical computer scien
John von Neumann (1903-1957) was unquestionably one of the most brilliant scientistsof the twentieth century. He made major contributions to quantum mechanics and mathematical physicsand in 1943 began
The interaction between computer and mathematics is becoming more and more important at all levels as computers become more sophisticated. This book shows how simple programs can be used to do significant mathematics. The purpose of this book is to give those with some mathematical background a wealth of material with which to appreciate both the power of the microcomputer and its relevance to the study of mathematics. The authors cover topics such as number theory, approximate solutions, differential equations and iterative processes, with each chapter self-contained. Many exercises and projects are included giving ready made material for demonstrating mathematical ideas. Only a fundamental knowledge of mathematics is assumed and programming is restricted to 'basic BASIC' which will be understood by any microcomputer. The book may be used as a textbook for algorithmic mathematics at several levels, with all the topics covered appearing in any undergraduate mathematics course.
This book is concerned with techniques for formal theorem-proving, with particular reference to Cambridge LCF (Logic for Computable Functions). Cambridge LCF is a computer program for reasoning about computation. It combines the methods of mathematical logic with domain theory, the basis of the denotational approach to specifying the meaning of program statements. Cambridge LCF is based on an earlier theorem-proving system, Edinburgh LCF, which introduced a design that gives the user flexibility to use and extend the system. A goal of this book is to explain the design, which has been adopted in several other systems. The book consists of two parts. Part I outlines the mathematical preliminaries, elementary logic and domain theory, and explains them at an intuitive level, giving reference to more advanced reading; Part II provides sufficient detail to serve as a reference manual for Cambridge LCF. It will also be a useful guide for implementors of other programs based on the LCF approa
This outstanding collection is designed to address the fundamental issues and principles underlying the task of Artificial Intelligence. The editors have selected not only papers now recognized as classics but also many specially commissioned papers which examine the methodological and theoretical foundations of the discipline from a wide variety of perspectives: computer science and software engineering, cognitive psychology, philosophy, formal logic and linguistics. Carefully planned and structured, the volume tackles many of the contentious questions of immediate concern to AI researchers and interested observers. Is Artificial Intelligence in fact a discipline, or is it simply part of computer science? What is the role of programs in AI and how do they relate to theories? What is the nature of representation and implementation, and how should the challenge of connectionism be viewed? Can AI be characterized as an empirical science? The comprehensiveness of this collection is furthe
Using the tools of complexity theory, Stephen Judd develops a formal description of associative learning in connectionist networks. He rigorously exposes the computational difficulties in training neu
This is an introduction to the field of efficient parallel algorithms and to the techniques for efficient parallelisation. It is self-contained and presumes no special knowledge of parallel computers or particular mathematics. The book emphasises designing algorithms within the timeless and abstracted context of a high-level programming language rather than within highly specific computer architectures. This is an approach which concentrates on the essence of algorithmic theory, determining and taking advantage of the inherently parallel nature of certain types of problem. The authors present regularly-used techniques and a range of algorithms which includes some of the more celebrated and well-known. Efficient Parallel Algorithms is targeted at non-specialists who are considering entering the field of parallel algorithms. It will be particularly useful for courses aimed at advanced undergraduate or new postgraduate students of computer science and mathematics.
Arguing that within the next fifty years machines will equal humans not only in reasoning power but also in their ability to perceive, interact with, and change their environment, the author describes
This 1989 book provides an introduction to the immensely important area of computer networking. The book covers everything from systems linked by telephone lines to tightly coupled networks of processors using high speed links, and the correspondingly broad range of techniques that are needed. The emphasis throughout is on the understanding of the principles that may rapidly become out of date. However, detailed discussion of standards and systems is given where they are widely accepted and likely to be long-lasting. In particular the ARPANET and OSI standards are discussed. The author's style is extremely accessible, and many real-life examples are given to illustrate the discussion.
