Computation is a general term for any type of information processing that can be represented mathematically. Information processing is the change (processing of Information in any manner detectable by an observer. This includes phenomena ranging from human thinking to calculations with a more narrow meaning. Computation is a process following a well-defined model that is understood and can be expressed in an algorithm, protocol, network topology, etc. Scientific modelling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual, Graphical and or mathematical models. In Mathematics, Computing, Linguistics and related subjects an algorithm is a sequence of finite instructions often used for Calculation In computing, a protocol is a convention or standard that controls or enables the connection Communication, and Data transfer between two computing Network topology is the study of the arrangement or mapping of the elements ( links, nodes, etc
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Classes of computation
Computation can be classified by at least three orthogonal criteria: digital vs analog, sequential vs parallel, batch vs interactive. A digital system uses discrete (discontinuous values usually but not always Symbolized Numerically (hence called "digital" to represent information for Analogue electronics (or analog in American English) are those electronic systems with a continuously Variable signal In Mathematics, a sequence is an ordered list of objects (or events Parallel computing is a form of computation in which many instructions are carried out simultaneously operating on the principle that large problems can often Batch processing is execution of a series of programs (" jobs quot on a Computer without human interaction Interactive computation involves communication with the external world during the computation
In practice, digital computation is often used to simulate natural processes (for example, Evolutionary computation), including those that are more naturally described by analog models of computation (for example, Artificial neural network). In Computer science evolutionary computation is a subfield of Artificial intelligence (more particularly Computational intelligence) that involves An artificial neural network (ANN, often just called a "neural network" (NN is a Mathematical model or Computational model based on Biological neural In this situation, it is important to distinguish between the mechanism of computation and the simulated model.
Computations as a physical phenomenon
A computation can be seen as a purely physical phenomenon occurring inside a closed physical system called a computer. In Physics the word system has a technical meaning namely it is the portion of the physical Universe chosen for analysis A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. Examples of such physical systems include digital computers, quantum computers, DNA computers, molecular computers, analog computers or wetware computers. A computer is a Machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions. A quantum computer is a device for Computation that makes direct use of distinctively Quantum mechanical Phenomena, such as superposition DNA computing is a form of Computing which uses DNA, Biochemistry and Molecular biology, instead of the traditional silicon-based Computer Molecular computers are massively parallel computers taking advantage of the computational power of molecules (specifically biological An analog computer (spelt analogue in British English is a form of Computer that uses continuous physical phenomena such as electrical mechanical A wetware computer is an organic computer (also known as an artificial organic brain or a neurocomputer) built from living Neurons. This point of view is the one adopted by the branch of theoretical physics called the physics of computation. The study of the physics of Computation relates to understanding the fundamental physical limits of Computers This field has led to the investigation of how Thermodynamics
An even more drastic point of view is the postulate of digital physics that the evolution of the universe itself is a computation. Digital physics holds the basic premise that the entire history of our Universe is Computable, that is the output of a (presumably short computer program
Computation is a form of calculation, the procedure of calculating; determining something by mathematical or logical methods or problem solving that involves numbers or quantities.
Mathematical models of computation
In the theory of computation, mathematical models of computers are defined. The theory of computation is the branch of Computer science that deals with whether and how efficiently problems can be solved on a Model of computation, using an A computation is the evolution over discrete time epochs of this model. Typical mathematical models of computers are the following:
Different mathematical models of computers can be classified according to their expressive power, see the Chomsky hierarchy. Turing machines are basic abstract symbol-manipulating devices which despite their simplicity can be adapted to simulate the logic of any Computer Algorithm In Automata theory, a pushdown automaton (PDA is a finite automaton that can make use of a stack containing data Within the field of Computer science, specifically in the area of Formal languages, the Chomsky hierarchy (occasionally referred to as Chomsky–Schützenberger
History
The word computation has an archaic meaning (from its Latin etymological roots), but the word has come back in use with the arising of a new scientific discipline: computer science. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Computer science (or computing science) is the study and the Science of the theoretical foundations of Information and Computation and their
See also
- Computing
- Physical information
- Real computation
- Reversible computation
- Theory of computation
- Hypercomputation
Dictionary
computation
-noun
- The act or process of computing; calculation; reckoning.
- The result of computation; the amount computed.
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