The information age owes its existence to a little-known but crucial development, the theoretical study of logic and the foundations of mathematics. The Great Formal Machinery Works draws on original sources and rare archival materials to trace the history of the theories of deduction and computation that laid the logical foundations for the digital revolution. Jan von Plato examines the contributions of figures such as Aristotle; the nineteenth-century German polymath Hermann Grassmann; George Boole, whose Boolean logic would prove essential to programming languages and computing; Ernst Schröder, best known for his work on algebraic logic; and Giuseppe Peano, cofounder of mathematical logic. Von Plato shows how the idea of a formal proof in mathematics emerged gradually in the second half of the nineteenth century, hand in hand with the notion of a formal process of computation. A turning point was reached by 1930, when Kurt Gödel conceived his celebrated incompleteness theorems. They were an enormous boost to the study of formal languages and computability, which were brought to perfection by the end of the 1930s with precise theories of formal languages and formal deduction and parallel theories of algorithmic computability. Von Plato describes how the first theoretical ideas of a computer soon emerged in the work of Alan Turing in 1936 and John von Neumann some years later. Shedding new light on this crucial chapter in the history of science, The Great Formal Machinery Works is essential reading for students and researchers in logic, mathematics, and computer science.

This book provides a concise and modern introduction to Formal Languages and Machine Computation, a group of disparate topics in the theory of computation, which includes formal languages, automata theory, turing machines, computability, complexity, number-theoretic computation, public-key cryptography, and some new models of computation, such as quantum and biological computation. As the theory of computation is a subject based on mathematics, a thorough introduction to a number of relevant mathematical topics, including mathematical logic, set theory, graph theory, modern abstract algebra, and particularly number theory, is given in the first chapter of the book. The book can be used either as a textbook for an undergraduate course, for a first-year graduate course, or as a basic reference in the field.

Bloomsbury Semiotics offers a state-of-the-art overview of the entire field of semiotics by revealing its influence on a wide range of disciplinary perspectives. With four volumes spanning theory, method and practice across the disciplines, this definitive reference work emphasizes and strengthens common bonds shared across intellectual cultures, and facilitates the discovery and recovery of meaning across fields. It comprises: Volume 1: History and Semiosis Volume 2: Semiotics in the Natural and Technical Sciences Volume 3: Semiotics in the Arts and Social Sciences Volume 4: Semiotic Movements Written by leading international experts, the chapters provide comprehensive overviews of the history and status of semiotic inquiry across a diverse range of traditions and disciplines. Together, they highlight key contemporary developments and debates along with ongoing research priorities. Providing the most comprehensive and united overview of the field, Bloomsbury Semiotics enables anyone, from students to seasoned practitioners, to better understand and benefit from semiotic insight and how it relates to their own area of study or research. Volume 2: Semiotics in the Natural and Technical Sciences presents the state-of-the art in semiotic approaches to disciplines ranging from mathematics and biology to neuroscience and medicine, from evolutionary linguistics and animal behaviour studies to computing, finance, law, architecture, and design. Each chapter casts a vision for future research priorities, unanswered questions, and fresh openings for semiotic participation in these and related fields.

Automata Theory and Formal Languages presents the difficult concepts of automata theory in a straightforward manner, including discussions on diverse concepts and tools that play major roles in developing computing machines, algorithms and code. Automata theory includes numerous concepts such as finite automata, regular grammar, formal languages, context free and context sensitive grammar, push down automata, Turing machine, and decidability, which constitute the backbone of computing machines. This book enables readers to gain sufficient knowledge and experience to construct and solve complex machines. Each chapter begins with key concepts followed by a number of important examples that demonstrate the solution. The book explains concepts and simultaneously helps readers develop an understanding of their application with real-world examples, including application of Context Free Grammars in programming languages and Artificial Intelligence, and cellular automata in biomedical problems. - Presents the concepts of Automata Theory and Formal Languages in an easy-to-understand approach - Helps the readers understand key concepts by solving real-world examples. - Provides the readers with a simple approach to connect the theory with the latest trend like software testing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. - Includes a wide coverage of applications of automata theory and formal languages.

The organized and accessible format of Automata Theory and Formal Languages allows students to learn important concepts in an easy-to-understand, question-and-answer format. This portable learning tool has been designed as a one-stop reference for students to understand and master the subjects by themselves.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Software Engineering and Formal Methods, SEFM 2022, which took place in Berlin, Germany, in September 2022. The 19 full and 3 short papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 62 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: software verification; program analysis; verifier technology; formal methods for intelligent and learning systems; specification and contracts; program synthesis; temporal logic; and runtime methods.