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The following terms were defined from Webster's New
World Dictionary of Computing Terms unless otherwise noted as a parenthetical
citation.
The titles in brackets indicate the pages where the word was used.
For further definition of words listed below or words that are not listed, search the Free Online Dictionary of
Computing.
analog--The
kind of representation of continuously changing conditions.
["Pattern-Recognition", "Brain & Computer--Math & Logic", "Brain & Computer"]
anthropocentric--1.
Regarding man as the central fact or final aim of the universe. 2.
Interpreting reality exclusively in terms of human values and experiences.["To Be Human"]
AI--see artificial intelligence.[Every page]
- artificial intelligence(AI)--The
art of creating machines that perform functions that require intelligence when performed
by people.(Kurzweil 14)
[Almost every page]
-
- automated speech
recognition(ASR)--Refers to the ability of a machine to
recognize high-level patterns in human speech. In general, the goal of ASR is to
identify the words spoken.["Pattern-Recognition--Sound"]
-
- ASR--see automated speech recognition. ["Pattern-Recognition--Sound"]
[ Top ]
- binary notation--see binary system. ["AI
Components"]
-
- binary system--Any numeral, usually of
more than one digit, expressing a sum in which the quantity represented by each digit is
based on a radix of 2. The digits used are 0 and 1.["Brain
& Computer--Math & Logic"]
-
- bit--1. A binary digit; a
digit(1 or 0) in the representation of a number in binary notation. 2.
The smallest unit of information recognized by a computer and its associated
equipment. Several bits make up a byte or a computer word.["Faster Computing"]
-
- boolean algebra--A branch of
symbolic logic similar in form to algebra but dealing with logical relationships instead
of numerical relationships. It lay dormant until it could be usefully applied to the
fields of relay switching and electronic computers. It was developed by English
mathematician and logician George Boole
(1815-1864).["Language" "Math
& Logic"]
-
- boolean logic--see
boolean algebra.["Math & Logic",
"Brain & Logic"]
[ Top ]
- C--The full name of a programming language
designed for use on microcomputers. Combines high-level statements with low-level
machine control to deliver software that is both easy to use and highly efficient. C
is very popular with system programmers because of its transportability between computer
systems.
-
- C++--An object-oriented version of the C
programming language. This language has been chosen by several large software
publishers for major development projects. The term C++ means "more than
C."["AI Components--Software"]
-
- cognitive science--The science of studying the
mental process or faculty by which knowledge is acquired.(American Heritage Dictionary 289)
["Introductions", "Thoughts
on Thought", "AI Components"]
-
- compiler--A computer program whose purpose is that of
translating high-level-language statements into a form that can directly activate the
computer hardware. Translates a complete program before any execution.["AI Components--Software"]
-
- cognition--1. The mental
process or faculty by which knowledge is acquired. 2. Something
that comes to be known, as through perception, reasoning, or intuition; knowledge.(American Heritage Dictionary
289) [Nearly every page]
-
- computer science--A field of
knowledge embracing all aspects of the design and use o computers. Aspects of
computer science range from programming and computer graphics to artificial intelligence
and robotics. Offered as a degree program in many colleges and universities.["Start Page", "Introductions",
"Thoughts on Thought", "Language",
"Brain & Computer--Dynamic Modification", "AI Components"]
-
- conscious--a. Having an awareness of
one's own existence, sensations, and thoughts and of one's will, or perception; b.
Capable of thought, will, or perception.(American Heritage Dictionary 312)
[ "Language", "Brain
& Computer--Dynamic Modification"]
-
- consciousness--The state or condition
of being conscious.(American Heritage Dictionary 312)
["Introductions", "Thoughts
on Thought"]
-
- cybernetics--A branch of learning that
seeks to integrate the theories and studies of communication and control in machines and
living organisms.["Brain & Computer--Dynamic Modification"]
[ Top ]
- decision-tree--The pictorial representation of the alternatives in
a situation.["Brain & Computer--Inference"]
-
- digital--Pertaining to representation of
information by encoding as bits of 1's or 0's that indicate on or off states. Highly
important in the technology of computers and data communications.[ "Introductions", "Brain &
Computer", "Brain & Computer--Math &
Logic", "Pattern-Recognition", "Pattern-Recognition--Sound"]
[ Top ]
electro-chemical--Describing
phenomena of the interaction between electricity and chemicals.(American Heritage Dictionary
443) ["Brain & Computer"]
expert system--An interactive
computer program that helps users with problems that would otherwise require the
assistance of human experts, programs that present the computer as an expert on some
topic. Expert systems capture knowledge in rules that can be communicated to others
as advice or solutions. The programs often simulate the reasoning process used by
human experts in certain well-defined fields.["Brain &
Computer--Indexing", "Brain & Computer--Inference",
"Applications", "The Future"]
[ Top ]
- frame--information stored in a group of
related data.["Thoughts on Thought", "Brain & Computer--Knowledge Representation", "Brain & Computer--Dynamic Modification"]
[ Top ]
[ Top ]
- hardware--physical equipment, such as
electronic, magnetic, and mechanical devices.["Brain &
Computer", "AI Components--Hardware", "AI Components--Software"]
-
- heuristics--A term describing an
exploratory method of attacking a problem in which the solution is obtained by successive
evaluations of progress toward the final results.["Brain &
Computer--Dynamic Modification"]
-
- high-level programming--Any
programming that allows users to write instructions in a familiar notation rather than in
a machine code. Each statement in a high-level language corresponds to several
machine-code instructions.["Language"]
-
- Horn clause format--An "If..Then" statement with a
single consequence["AI Components--Software"]
-
- humanistic--A doctrine or attitude that
is concerned primarily with human beings and their values, capacities, and achievements.(American
Heritage Dictionary 627)
[ Top ]
- inference--The fitting of data to the
rules in a knowledge base to produce a result. ["Brain & Computer--Indexing, "Brain
& Computer--Inference", "Brain &
Computer--Dynamic Modification", "The Future"]
-
- intelligence--a. The
capacity to acquire and apply knowledge. b. The faculty of thought and
reason. c. Superior powers of mind.(American Heritage Dictionary
668)
[ Top ]
[ Top ]
- knowledge--1. In artificial
intelligence, symbolic information used by a domain expert to solve problems. 2.
Facts and relationships used to solve problems. [Nearly every page]
-
- knowledge base--a data structure in
which a computer can access knowledge. ["Brain & Computer--Knowledge Representation", "Brain & Computer--Dynamic Modification", "To Be Human"]
[ Top ]
- LISP(LISt Processing)--A method of processing
data in the form of lists. The procedure of going through a list and examining the
objects in the list for a purpose, e.g., to find or deal a given element, or reorder the
elements. A high-level programming language especially suited for the text
manipulation and analysis. ["Brain & Computer--Dynamic
Modification", "AI Components--Software"]
-
- logical-positivist--a person who
believes in a philosophical doctrine contending that sense perceptions are the only
admissible basis of human knowledge and precise thought.
[ Top ]
- machine code--An operation code that a
machine is designed to recognize. ["AI Components--Hardware",
"AI Components--Software"]
-
- man-machine interface(MMI)--A
surface forming a common boundary between man and machine. ["Pattern-Recognition--Sound"]
-
- mechanistic--The view that phenomena are
governed by physical interactions. ["Thoughts on Thought"]
-
- microprocessor--The complex chip that
is the central processing unit of the computer. The job of the microprocessor is to
control what goes on inside the computer. All the processing that a computer does takes
place there.
-
- mind-body problem--The
philosophical question of how a nonphysical entity such as the mind may interact
with and exert control over a physical thing such as the body. ["Thoughts on Thought", "Brain
& Computer", "The Future"]
-
- MIDI--see musical
instrument device interface. ["Pattern-Recognition--Sound"]
-
- MMI--see
man-machine interface.
-
- musical instrument device
interface(MIDI)--A standard communications protocol for the
exchange of information between computers and sound-producing equipment, such as
synthesizers. ["Pattern-Recognition--Sound"]
[ Top ]
- natural language processing--The
study of strategies for computer programs to recognize and understand language in spoken
and written form. ["Introductions", "Brain & Computer--Knowledge Representation", "Pattern-Recognition--Sound", "To Be
Human", "The Future"]
-
- neural network--1. A computer
simulate of the brain. 2. Self-organizing systems of simple
interconnected processing units that possess a learning rule and are capable of learning.
["Thoughts on Thought", "Brain
& Computer", "The Future--Faster Computing"]
-
- neuron--1. Any of the cells of nerve
tissue consisting of a nucleated portion an dytoplasmic extensions, the cell body, and the
dendrites and axons. 2. In artificial intelligence, a neuron
is a single computer in a neural network operating similarly
to a biological neuron.(American
Heritage Dictionary 839) ["Thoughts on Thought",
"Brain & Computer", "Brain
& Computer--How Biological Neurons Work", "Brain
& Computer--Knowledge Representation", "The
Future--Faster Computing"]
[ Top ]
- optical computing--using beams of
light to transmit data in a computer. ["The Future--Faster
Computing"]
[ Top ]
- parallel computing--Processing
data using multiple processors and are able to perform many
mathematical operations and decisions at the same time. Unlike conventional supercomputers, which work on problems sequentially, massively
parallel processing computers harness the computing power of hundreds or more microprocessors to tackle different parts of a problem at once.
["The Future--Faster Computing"]
- parse--To break input into smaller pieces so
that a program can act upon the information. ["Language",
"Language--Parsing Examples", "Language--Language Programs", "AI
Components--Software"]
-
- pattern-recognition--1.
The recognition of forms, shapes, or configurations by automatic means. A subfield of
artificial intelligence. 2. The use of a computer to identify
patterns.. 3. The use of statistical techniques and templates
to process and classify patterns of data. [Nearly every page]
-
- philosophy--Inquiry into the nature of
things based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods.(American Heritage Dictionary 931)
["Introductions", "Brain
& Computer--Math & Logic"]
- prime number--A number that has itself
and unity(one) as its only factors.(American Heritage Dictionary
984) ["Introductions", "Brain & Computer--Dynamic Modification"]
-
- processor--1. The central processing
unit of a computer. 2. A compiler is sometimes referred to
as a language processor. ["Brain & computer",
"Brain & computer--Knowledge Representation",
"Brain & computer--Inference", "Brain & computer--Dynamic Modification", "AI Components--Hardware", "AI
Components--Software", "The Future--Faster Computing"]
-
- programming language--A set of
statements that control the operations of a computer; a means for computer users to
provide a series of instructions for a computer to follow. There are four types of
programming languages: machine language, assembly language, high-level language, and
fourth-generation(object-oriented) language. ["Language",
"AI Components--Hardware", "AI Components--Software"]
-
- psychology--The science of mental
processes and behavior.(American Heritage Dictionary 1000) ["Introductions", "Thoughts on Thought",
Brain & Computer--Indexing", "AI Components", "To Be Human"]
[ Top ]
- quantum computing--using electrons
to store and calculate the bits in a computer. ["The Future--Faster Computing"]
-
- qubit--short for "quantum bit," a
qubit stores computer bits using electrons. ["The Future--Faster Computing"]
[ Top ]
[ Top ]
- serial computer--A computer that
processes information sequentially. ["The Future"]
-
- strong AI--the belief that human
intelligence is governed by physical laws so machines can be built to duplicate that type
of intelligence. ["Introductions", "Thoughts on Thought", "Brain &
Computer--Math & Logic", "To Be Human",
"The Future"]
-
- software--The generic term for any computer
program or programs; instructions that cause the hardware to do work. [Nearly every page]
-
- source code--Symbolic coding in its
original form before being processed by a computer. The computer automatically
translates source code into a code the computer can understand.
-
- speaker-independence--Refers to
the fact that some features of a speech string are not dependent on who the speaker is.
"Speaker independence" also refers to the ability of a system for automatic speech recognition to understand any
speaker, irrespective of whether or not the system has previously sampled that's speaker's
speech.(Kurzweil 551)
["Pattern-Recognition--Sound"]
-
- supercomputer--The fastest and most
powerful computers available at any given time. Supercomputers are used for
computations demanding high speed and storage(e.g., analyzing weather data).(Kurzweil 551) ["AI Components--Hardware"]
-
- superconductivity--The physical
phenomenon whereby some materials exhibit zero electrical resistance at low temperatures.
Superconductivity points to the possibility of great computational power with
little or no heat dissipation(a limiting factor today).(Kurzweil 551) ["AI Components--Hardware"]
[ Top ]
- top-down approach--Architectural
discipline for computer program development wherein the high-level functions are coded and
tested in an outline form early in the development process. Lower-level detail is
added and tested progressively. From specifications and interfaces, the complete
package is constructed beginning without he highest levels of control, such as job control
languages and operating system services, progressing to program control modules, and
extending to successively more detailed levels of program modules in a hierarchically
descending structure. ["Pattern-Recognition--Sound"]
-
- Turing Test--A game to determine whether
a computer might be considered to possess intelligence, developed by British mathematician
Alan Turing. Participants include two
respondents (a computer and a human) and a human examiner who tries to determine which of
the unseen respondents is the human. According to this test, intelligence and the
ability to think would be demonstrated by the computer's success in fooling the examiner.
["Introductions--The Turing Test", "Language--Language Programs", "Brain
& Computer--Dynamic Modification", "The Future"]
[ Top ]
[ Top ]
[ Top ]
- weak AI--The belief that machines can only
emulate human intelligence. ["Introductions", "Introductions--The Turing Test", "Thoughts on Thought", "Language--Language
Programs"]
[ Top ]
[ Top ]
[ Top ]
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