Publisher's Synopsis
The aim of this textbook is to present an account of the theory of computation. After introducing the concept of a model of computation and presenting various examples, the author explores the limitations of effective computation via basic recursion theory. Self-reference and other methods are introduced as fundamental and basic tools for constructing and manipulating algorithms. From there, the book considers the complexity of computations and the notion of a complexity measure is introduced.;Finally, the book culminates in considering time and space measures and in classifying computable functions as being either feasible or not. The author assumes only a basic familiarity with discrete mathematics and computing, making this textbook ideal for a graduate-level introductory course. Exercises with solutions are provided.
