A Ubiquity symposium is an organized debate around a proposition or point of view. It is a means to explore a complex issue from multiple perspectives. An early example of a symposium on teaching computer science appeared in Communications of the ACM (December 1989).
To organize a symposium, please read our guidelines.
Ubiquity Symposium: What is Computation
Table of Contents
1. What is Computation, Editor's Introduction, by Peter J. Denning
2. What is Computation, Opening Statement, by Peter J. Denning
3. The Evolution of Computation, by Peter Wegner
4. Computation is Symbol Manipulation, by John S. Conery
5. Computation is Process, by Dennis J. Frailey
6. Computing and Computation, by Paul S. Rosenbloom
7. Computation and Information, by Ruzena Bajcsy
8. Computation and Fundamental Physics, by Dave Bacon
9. The Enduring Legacy of the Turing Machine, by Lance Fortnow
10. Computation and Computational Thinking, by Alfred V. Aho
11. What is the Right Computational Model for Continuous Scientific Problems?, by Joseph Traub
12. Computation, Uncertainty and Risk, by Jeffrey P. Buzen
13. Natural Computation, by Erol Gelenbe
14. Biological Computation, by Melanie Mitchell
15. What is Information?: Beyond the jungle of information theories, by Paolo Rocchi
16. What Have We Said About Computation?: Closing statement, by Peter J. Denning
Symposia
2010
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Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': The enduring legacy of the Turing machine
by Lance Fortnow
December 2010
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Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': Computation and information
by Ruzena Bajcsy
December 2010In this sixth article in the ACM Ubiquity symposium,What is Computation? Ruzena Bajcsy of the University of California-Berkeley explains that computation can be seen as a transformation or function of information.
--Editor
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Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': Computing and computation
by Paul S. Rosenbloom
December 2010In this fifth article in the ACM Ubiquity symposium on What is computation? Paul S. Rosenbloom explains why he believes computing is the fourth great scientific domain, on par with the physical, life, and social sciences.
Editor
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Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': Computation and Fundamental Physics
by Dave Bacon
December 2010In this seventh article in the ACM Ubiquity symposium, What is Computation?, Dave Bacon of University of Washington explains why he thinks discussing the question is as important as thinking about what it means to be self-aware. —Editor
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Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': Computation is process
by Dennis J. Frailey
November 2010Various authors define forms of computation as specialized types of processes. As the scope of computation widens, the range of such specialties increases. Dennis J. Frailey posits that the essence of computation can be found in any form of process, hence the title and the thesis of this paper in the Ubiquity symposium discussion what is computation. --Editor
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Ubiquity symposium 'What is Computation?': The evolution of computation
by Peter Wegner
November 2010In this second article in the ACM Ubiquity symposium on 'What is computation?' Peter Wegner provides a history of the evolution of comptuation. --Editor
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Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': Computation is symbol manipulation
by John S. Conery
November 2010In the second in the series of articles in the Ubiquity Symposium What is Computation?, Prof. John S. Conery of the University of Oregon explains why he believes computation can be seen as symbol manipulation. For more articles in this series, see table of contents in the http://ubiquity.acm.org/article.cfm?id=1870596 Editors Introduction to the symposium. --Editor
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Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': Opening statement
by Peter J. Denning
November 2010Most people understand a computation as a process evoked when a computational agent acts on its inputs under the control of an algorithm. The classical Turing machine model has long served as the fundamental reference model because an appropriate Turing machine can simulate every other computational model known. The Turing model is a good abstraction for most digital computers because the number of steps to execute a Turing machine algorithm is predictive of the running time of the computation on a digital computer. However, the Turing model is not as well matched for the natural, interactive, and continuous information processes frequently encountered today. Other models whose structures more closely match the information processes involved give better predictions of running time and space. Models based on transforming representations may be useful.
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Ubiquity symposium 'What is computation?': Editor's Introduction
by Peter J. Denning
October 2010The first Ubiquity symposium seeks to discuss the question, "What is computation?"