Episodes
How is it possible to build a machine as complex as the microprocessor with a billion tiny components packed into a space the size of a postage stamp?
Every day we interact with dozens if not hundreds of computers, often without even realising it. This lecture reveals the state-of-the-art in computer interaction.
What is software, and how is it stored inside the computer? Why are some problems just too hard for any computer to solve, and how can we turn this to our advantage?
How does information make its way across the internet, through hundreds of computers to the right destination? How does a search engine find the web page you want amongst billions of possibilities in a fraction of a second?
Computers are extraordinary machines, able to perform feats of arithmetic that far exceed the capabilities of any human. So why is a 3 year old toddler better at recognising everyday objects than the world's most powerful supercomputer?
Episode 3 - The Ghost In The Machine
Computers are the most versatile machines ever invented, and the same piece of hardware can be used for thousands of different purposes. But it is software that brings the machine to life, and turns it into a phone, a music player, a game, or any number of other possibilities, including ones not even imagined by the creator of the hardware. But what is software, and how is it stored inside the computer? Is data the same thing as information? Why are some problems just too hard for any computer to solve, and how can we turn this to our advantage? To find out, join Chris Bishop as he explores the fascinating world of computer science, and see how software has touched almost every aspect of our lives. Find out how powerful new computers running sophisticated software are able to do thousands of tasks at once, and why a quantum computer may one day be able to do more calculations at the same time than there are atoms in the universe.