THEORY OF COMPUTATION

The Theory of Computation Research Group brings the methods of discrete mathematics to bear on a variety of computational problems. Central concerns have been to characterize the optimal amounts of time or space required to carry out computations, to analyze the power of different computing machine organizations, and to analyze the mathematical properties of programming languages.

Professors Vaughan R. Pratt (left) and Frederick C. Hennie discuss a problem in the theory of computation. Professor Pratt is interested in computational complexity, computational linguistics, and programming semantics. Professor Hennie's research interests include algorithms, theory of computation and applications of discrete mathematics.


Professor Peter Elias, a former Head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, is internationally known for his work on coding theory. He is currently interested in the theoretical problems concerning the storage and retrieval of data.


Professor Albert R. Meyer (left), who heads the Theory of Computation Research Group, and Visiting Professor Michael Rabin, of the Department of Mathematics, University of Jerusalem, discuss a problem in complexity theory. Professor Meyer's interests span combinatorial algorithms, automata, recursive functions, and decision procedures in logic. He is also the chairman of the graduate computer science committee of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.


Professor Ronald Rivest (seated) discusses a problem in complexity theory with Professor Andrew C.-C. Yao of the Mathematics Department. Professor Rivest's research interests lie in applied computational complexity and in the development of optimal algorithms.




This 1975 MIT Lab for Computer Science Brochure was reconstructed in HTML by Peter Szolovits, 1995.
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