You may have noticed that some blockchain technology use cases are classified as Turing complete. This characteristic is determined by the scripting technology used and highly influences the way a network operates. Learn more about it here!
What Is “Turing Complete”?
A system of data-manipulation rules, such as a computer’s instruction set or a programming language, is considered Turing complete when, given enough time, memory, and rules, it can solve any computational problem, no matter how complex it is.
The “Turing complete” definition is usually applicable to modern programming languages like C++, Python, and JavaScript, and is also often used to describe blockchain networks.
What You Need To Know About Turing Complete?
The idea of Turing completeness derives from a hypothesis of a 20th-century mathematician, Alan Turing. He described an abstract machine that consists of three elements:
- An infinite tape (memory)
- A tape head (a pointer to a currently inspected memory cell)
- A state transition table (rules for the machine’s behavior)
The hypothetical Turing machine has the ability to solve any computational problem with a calculable answer that can be expressed in code.
Thus, a Turing complete device or programming language is supposed to have the capability to run any program or solve any problem that the Turing Machine could run or solve. If a device or programming language cannot do it, it is said to be Turing incomplete.
For instance, the scripting language of the Bitcoin blockchain is designed as Turing incomplete. This is intentional, as it serves its purpose, and increased complexity could potentially cause operational issues in the network. Keeping it simple means that developers can predict its output in the limited number of situations in which it is applied.
Ethereum, on the other hand, is Turing complete. It is an essential feature of this blockchain, as it needs to understand the agreements that make up smart contracts. Ethereum being Turing complete means that it is able to use its code base to perform virtually any task and implement any agreement – even those that haven’t been thought of yet.
