Preface

Contents

Index

Glossary

Models

Rogues

Snapshots

of

The Theory of Computing

copyright Rockford J. Ross
all rights reserved

Welcome to Snapshots!

What is Snapshots? Snapshots is a hypertextbook on the theory of computing.  ...well, that might be a rather grandiose thing to say about the effort right now, but that is the eventual objective of Snapshots. At this point, the project is very much in the exploratory stage, so what you see here is a work in progress.  The idea is to use the dynamic nature of the Web to present the theory of computing in a way that helps teachers teach and learners learn in new ways that involve active involvement on the part of all.

The most novel feature of Snapshots is the incorporation of interactive animations of important concepts.  Java programs are included that present the models of computation for exploration by the user; as new concepts are encountered, animations of these concepts are incorporated in an effort to aid in the teaching and learning of the theory.

Why the name Snapshots?   Hey, we can't get it all done in a day.  Building a good hypertextbook takes a lot of hard work.  So, instead of waiting for the entire book to be ready before publishing it, we'll put it out in increments--snapshots if you will--as new parts are ready.  The beauty of the Web is that it encourages such an approach.

If this is your first encounter with Snapshots, be sure to read the following parts of the preface before proceeding.  They explain how best to use Snapshots.

This is fun stuff!  Unfasten your mindbelts and enjoy the ride...