Arbib Computers and the Cybernetic Society

2. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4832-7200-9
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 512 Seiten, Web PDF

Computers and the Cybernetic Society, Second Edition examines the impact of computers on the cybernetic society and covers topics such as expert systems, management applications, and office automation. The idea of a computer program is considered, along with data banks and the movement and storage of information. Advances in computer technology are also discussed. Comprised of nine chapters, this book begins with an assessment of the interaction between computer developments and social pressures. The interplay between the exciting possibilities of computer networking and the social implications of computer technology is highlighted by focusing on planning networks and public information networks. The next two chapters provide a basic understanding of computers and programming by describing key concepts such as computer graphics, networks, microcomputers, and program design. The next five chapters give a comprehensive overview of the impact of computers on the cybernetic society. The final chapter explains how hardware works and describes the circuitry that computers use to execute a program at the level of machine-language instructions. This monograph is intended for both students and instructors in the fields of computer science and cybernetics.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Arbib, Michael A.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Front Cover;1
2;Computers and the Cybernetic Society;4
3;Copyright Page;5
4;Table of Contents;14
5;PREFACE;6
6;TO THE STUDENT;10
7;CHAPTER 1. SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE CYBERNETIC SOCIETY;22
7.1;Introduction;22
7.2;The Computer Revolution;23
7.3;The Design of Social Systems in a Free Society;25
7.4;Networks in National and International Politics;26
7.5;Public-Information Networks;30
7.6;Summary;33
7.7;Glossary Words;34
7.8;Exercises;34
7.9;Suggestions for Further Reading;34
8;CHAPTER 2. ABOUT COMPUTERS AND PROGRAMS;38
8.1;2.1 The Idea of a Program;39
8.2;2.2 Moving and Storing Information;72
8.3;2.3 Translators, Operating Systems, and Time-Sharing;92
9;CHAPTER 3. ADVANCES IN COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY;107
9.1;3.1 Graphics and Networks;108
9.2;3.2 The Shrinking Machine and Personal Computers;129
9.3;3.3 Writing and Rewriting Large Programs;144
10;CHAPTER 4. THE RISE OF THE DATA BANK;157
10.1;4.1 Data-Base Management;157
10.2;4.2 Computers, Cash, and Crime;172
10.3;4.3 Data Banks and Privacy;185
11;CHAPTER 5. NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE;199
11.1;5.1 Brains, Minds, and Computers;200
11.2;5.2 Robotics and Planning;220
11.3;5.3 Natural Language Understanding and Expert Systems;240
12;CHAPTER 6. SIMULATING COMPLEX SYSTEMS;261
12.1;6.1 The Idea of Simulation;262
12.2;6.2 Prey and Predators;277
12.3;6.3 Management Simulation;292
12.4;6.4 World Simulation;307
13;CHAPTER 7. LEARNING AND WORKING;325
13.1;7.1 Computers in Education;326
13.2;7.2 Information Flow in the Cybernetic Society;345
13.3;7.3 Automation in Industry and the Office;358
14;CHAPTER 8. NETWORKS AND POLITICS;379
14.1;8.1 Networks for Planning;380
14.2;8.2 Democracy in the Computer Age;394
14.3;8.3 Computers in War and Peace;408
14.4;8.4 A Brain for Planet Earth;419
15;CHAPTER 9. DOWN AND UP FROM MACHINE LANGUAGE;436
15.1;9.1 How Hardware Works;436
15.2;9.2 Programming and Compiling;457
16;GLOSSARY;474
17;NAME INDEX;500
18;SUBJECT INDEX;504