Exploring the Power of Computing (original) (raw)

In Models of Computation: Exploring the Power of Computing, John Savage re-examines theoretical computer science, offering a fresh approach that gives priority to resource tradeoffs and complexity classifications over the structure of machines and their relationships to languages. This viewpoint reflects a pedagogy motivated by the growing importance of computational models that are more realistic than the abstract ones studied in the 1950s, '60s and early '70s.

Assuming only some background in computer organization, Models of Computation uses circuits to simulate machines with memory, thereby making possible an early discussion of P-complete and NP-complete problems. Circuits are also used to demonstrate that tradeoffs between parameters of computation, such as space and time, regulate all computations by machines with memory. Full coverage of formal languages and automata is included along with a substantive treatment of computability. Topics such as space-time tradeoffs, memory hierarchies, parallel computation, and circuit complexity, are integrated throughout the text with an emphasis on finite problems and concrete computational models

The released electronic version of the book, now available for free download, corrects all errors known to the author. Errors that occurred in print versions of the book can be found at Errata. Additional errata, as well as comments about the book, can be sent toJohn Savage.

Additional commentary on the book by Andy Yao,Jan van Leeuwen, and Akira Maruoka is provided below.

Download a PDF of the full book or of each individual chapter:

Models of Computation: Exploring the Power of Computing

• I. Overview of the Book
  • Preface
  • Chapter 1: The Role of Theory in Computer Science
• II. General Computational Models
  • Chapter 2: Logic Circuits
  • Chapter 3: Machines with Memory
  • Chapter 4: Finite-State Machines and Pushdown Automata
  • Chapter 5: Computability
  • Chapter 6: Algebraic and Combinatorial Circuits
  • Chapter 7: Parallel Computation
• III. Computational Complexity
  • Chapter 8: Complexity Classes
  • Chapter 9: Circuit Complexity
  • Chapter 10: Space-Time Tradeoffs
  • Chapter 11: Memory-Hierarchy Tradeoffs
  • Chapter 12: VLSI Models of Computation
• Bibliography
• Index

Models of Computation was originally published as a book in 1998 by Addison-Wesley. Addison-Wesley, now a division of Pearson Publishing Group, has returned all rights to the document to the author.

Models of Computation document was then published as a book from 2002 until 2007 by XanEdu OriginalWorks, a division of ProQuest Information & Learning, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, 800-218-5971.boo