Alonzo Church

Mathematician and logician; Church-Turing Thesis

Alonzo Church - Mathematician and logician; Church-Turing Thesis
Born

June 14th, 1903
122 years ago

Died

1995
30 years ago — 92 years old

Category

Thinkers & Philosophers

Country

United States

Links & References

A prominent mathematician and logician contributed significantly to the fields of mathematical logic and theoretical computer science. Introduced the concept of lambda calculus, which became foundational for functional programming. Developed the Church-Turing Thesis, proposing that any effectively calculable function can be computed by a Turing machine, laying important groundwork for modern computer science. Worked on recursive functions and demonstrated the undecidability of the Entscheidungsproblem. Served as a professor at Princeton University and held various prestigious academic positions.

Developed lambda calculus

Formulated the Church-Turing Thesis

Demonstrated undecidability of the Entscheidungsproblem

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