3-Tape Turing Machine Simulator

What is it about?

Turing machines are a theoretical model of computation, normally described with mathematical tables and formulae. Our work visualizes the operation of Turing machines, making them easier to understand and more accessible to students with weaker mathematical aptitude. We also include an implementation of U, the Universal Turing machine, which allows one Turing machine to simulate the operation of a different Turing machine.

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Why is it important?

Turing machines are essential to theoretical models of computation, but many computer science students have much higher interest and aptitude for the practical side of software engineering and information technology. They struggle to understand the mathematical notation, the abstract model of computation, and how a transition table can possibly describe that thing sitting on their desk. Our visualizer makes Turing machines work much more closely to the software they are used to without sacrificing the parts that are important to the Theory. It also has direct examples of how an existing machine can then be encoded for a different machine to operate -- this type of thinking is essential for later material on decidability and reduction proofs.

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