0:00:02 > 0:00:03This is Absolute Genius!
0:00:03 > 0:00:05'Dive into a world of action...
0:00:05 > 0:00:07'adventure...
0:00:07 > 0:00:08'and explosions.'
0:00:08 > 0:00:12'Each show, we'll introduce you to a different genius.'
0:00:12 > 0:00:17'An amazing person, who had a genius idea which shaped the world.'
0:00:17 > 0:00:19'And they will inspire us
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'to come up with our own genius idea at the end of each show.'
0:00:22 > 0:00:24'But will it be any good?'
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'Will it be any good?! It'll be...'
0:00:27 > 0:00:29BOTH: 'Absolute genius!'
0:00:30 > 0:00:34'Today, we play with weird wartime machines...'
0:00:34 > 0:00:35It's X.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37'..and decode top-secret messages...'
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Bratwurst!
0:00:38 > 0:00:42'..as we meet a genius who used numbers to invent something that can
0:00:42 > 0:00:45'control a city and send a rocket into space...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47- And lift-off.- 'The computer.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:52MONKEYS CHATTER
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Today, we meet a man who was so clever, so inspirational,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26so intelligent, it's frightening.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30A mathematical mastermind whose brilliant brain helped win
0:01:30 > 0:01:31World War II.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35Yeah, a man who came up with a truly world-changing idea -
0:01:35 > 0:01:36the modern computer!
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Ladies and gentlemen, it's the extraordinary Alan Turing!
0:01:39 > 0:01:40Morning!
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Inspired by his genius, we're going to be coming up with our own
0:01:44 > 0:01:47genius and spectacular idea later on in the show.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49We'll be going head-to-head,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52each designing a firework display on computer.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55This meteor is stronger, it's harder, and it's faster.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59And it's going to be judged by an audience of thousands.
0:01:59 > 0:02:00CHEERING
0:02:00 > 0:02:02But first, let's find out a little bit more
0:02:02 > 0:02:04about this very clever chap.
0:02:05 > 0:02:12Born in London in 1912, Alan Turing showed his genius at an early age.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14He was brilliant at maths at school
0:02:14 > 0:02:16and went on to study it at Cambridge University.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Today, we take computers for granted and use them
0:02:20 > 0:02:22for so many different things.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27Computers can fly a jet aeroplane and send a rocket into space.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31But when Turing was a young man, the modern computer did not even exist.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Alan Turing's genius was understanding different
0:02:36 > 0:02:37kinds of code.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41In World War II, his brilliant brain helped defeat Nazi Germany.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45He solved incredibly difficult codes that used jumbled up letters of
0:02:45 > 0:02:50the alphabet to hide the meaning of secret messages sent by the enemy.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54But Turing's genius was realising that another kind of code,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56using numbers, could be used
0:02:56 > 0:02:59to create something that would change the world.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02He called it the "universal computing machine".
0:03:03 > 0:03:07His universal computing machine was a brilliant idea.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Imagine a machine that could do your homework for you.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Not just any old sums, like a calculator,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15but any kind of problem you could think of.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Yeah, now, that idea became what we now call the computer.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22But the genius of Turing's computer was that it was the first
0:03:22 > 0:03:24that could do loads of things.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Before Turing could turn his idea into a real, working computer,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31he had to help Britain win World War II.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36During the war, Britain's enemy - Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler -
0:03:36 > 0:03:40was sending secret messages to its submarines by using something
0:03:40 > 0:03:42called the Enigma code.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47This code jumbled up letters of the alphabet in a very clever way.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50It meant that German submarines could sneak up with no warning
0:03:50 > 0:03:52on British ships, and sink them.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58It was the job of Turing, and people like him
0:03:58 > 0:04:02who were good at maths and solving puzzles, to break the Enigma code.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04If Turing could break the code, it could mean
0:04:04 > 0:04:07the difference between Britain winning or losing the war.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08No pressure, then!
0:04:10 > 0:04:13'To find out just how difficult it was for Turing to break Enigma,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17'we've come to the Centre for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge.'
0:04:19 > 0:04:20Meet Dr James Grime.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24He's a mathematician who knows loads about the Enigma code.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27James, the Enigma code,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31was this the first time that anyone had sent secret messages in war?
0:04:31 > 0:04:33No, this kind of idea goes way back.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37I mean, it goes as far back at least as this guy.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39- Who's that?- Ah, it's Julius Caesar.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Yeah, this is Julius Caesar, the Roman geezer!
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Leader of Rome 2,000 years ago.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Now, Julius Caesar, he needs to send secret messages.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50And he had a code that he used to use.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53To show you how it works, I've got this little prop here.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56I've got a big wheel there and a small wheel on the inside.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58On the outside, I've got the alphabet.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01On the inside, I've got the alphabet again - A to Z.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Now, if I want to send a code, I could shift this alphabet
0:05:05 > 0:05:08on the inside one place across.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12So, now, A becomes B, B becomes C...
0:05:12 > 0:05:14- So if I want to say something simple...- Dick.- OK.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18- D. And D will become E.- Yeah.
0:05:18 > 0:05:24I will become a J. C will become D and K, L.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26- "Ejdl".- So you'd send that to the other guy...- "Ejdl".
0:05:26 > 0:05:30..and they could use this wheel to then decode the message
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- and get the original message back. - Very clever, very clever.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35The Julius Caesar code, then, is pretty straightforward, really.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39But the Enigma code that Alan Turing was trying to break
0:05:39 > 0:05:40was much more complicated.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44This is an original Enigma machine from World War II.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47It's what the Germans used to create their secret codes.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Each time you press a key,
0:05:49 > 0:05:54it turns that letter into another letter, shown by a light.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58But these turning rotors mean the machine changes the code
0:05:58 > 0:06:00each time a key is pressed.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04So if you press the same letter again and again, like A, for instance,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08it will turn into a different new letter each time.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12A brilliant way to create a secret message.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15So your chances of working out the meaning of your code
0:06:15 > 0:06:17are pretty much zero.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20The Germans thought this was an unbreakable code.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23Yes, it really did my head in.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24It's X.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26'What made Enigma so brilliant
0:06:26 > 0:06:30'is that the same machine could both create...'
0:06:30 > 0:06:33'and decode a secret message.'
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Right, be nice to see what it says.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37X.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39I.
0:06:39 > 0:06:40M. X.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- Ahem! Bratwurst.- Bratwurst. - It's German for "sausage".
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It's his favourite type of sausage as well.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50Now, what made it even harder for Turing to break the code was
0:06:50 > 0:06:54that the Enigma machine could be set differently each time it was used.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58That meant there were literally millions of possible solutions
0:06:58 > 0:06:59to this code.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05The number of ways you can set the Enigma machine
0:07:05 > 0:07:07is 159 million million million.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13But how did Turing even begin to try and crack the Enigma?
0:07:13 > 0:07:14It must have been impossible.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18For most people, yes, but not Alan Turing.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21He helped invent a special code-breaking machine
0:07:21 > 0:07:22called the Bombe.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27Using some very clever guesswork, the Bombe was designed to go through
0:07:27 > 0:07:31all the possible ways an Enigma code could be set on any given day.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34It could rule out all the wrong settings.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38What you're left with must be the correct setting.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42And then you could use that and then you could break the code.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45- If you want to see a working Bombe machine...- Yeah?
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- you need to go to Bletchley Park. - Where's Bletchley Park?
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Bletchley Park? Buckinghamshire.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- Hm!- We love Buckinghamshire!
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Meet genius helper Tom Briggs.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01He knows all about Bletchley Park in World War II.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Tom, what did Alan Turing do here at Bletchley?
0:08:06 > 0:08:09He was one of thousands of people who were working for what was
0:08:09 > 0:08:11then known as the Government Code and Cypher School.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13There were thousands of people here breaking codes?
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Thousands of people doing
0:08:15 > 0:08:17lots of different jobs towards code-breaking.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Oh, right, so it was all pretty hush-hush around here?
0:08:19 > 0:08:21It was top secret.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Nobody was allowed to know what anybody else was doing.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And if the enemy had found out what was happening here, they'd
0:08:26 > 0:08:29have changed their codes and we'd have been back to square one.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31So you did your job and that was it,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33- you didn't know what anyone else was doing?- Nope.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Turing and his fellow code-breakers were under huge pressure,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41because the quicker they broke Enigma,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44the better the chance British ships had of avoiding German submarines.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46BOOM!
0:08:48 > 0:08:50Meet Jean Valentine.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52She worked at Bletchley during the war,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56operating the Bombe machine that Turing had helped design.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59We are so excited to see this, the Bombe.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01But what did it actually do?
0:09:01 > 0:09:04- Well, you saw Enigma, didn't you? - Mm, we did.
0:09:04 > 0:09:12This is 36 Enigmas, all going round, looking for this one answer.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14- Can we see it working? - Do you want to turn it on?
0:09:14 > 0:09:17MACHINE WHIRS Is that it? Ready.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19- Ohhhh!- I'm breaking the code! Huh?!
0:09:19 > 0:09:24This Bombe is mimicking 36 different Enigma machines.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27It's searching for a possible setting for the code.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29And then, when it stops,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33there will be letters showing on these three drums there.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Well done. You did that all by yourself.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Clever me. Once the machine's done its business,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43do you get one answer - that's the code broken?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46No. Every time it stopped was a possible answer.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51- Ah.- So we'd telephone to another hut where the people there tried it
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- to see if they'd got the right letters.- Who were you phoning?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- A number.- Noel Edmonds?
0:09:56 > 0:09:59- Ignore him!- Behave yourself!
0:10:00 > 0:10:03The person I was phoning didn't ask me who I was
0:10:03 > 0:10:07and I didn't ask who they were, because it was none of my business.
0:10:07 > 0:10:13Secrecy was crucial. The Germans had to think Enigma was unbreakable.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16If they'd found out otherwise, they'd make the code
0:10:16 > 0:10:20so difficult that even Alan Turing could not have broken it.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22How important do you think he actually was during this
0:10:22 > 0:10:24whole process and during the whole war?
0:10:24 > 0:10:26He was vitally important.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29If they say that this machine shortened the war by however
0:10:29 > 0:10:34many years, this machine would not have existed without Alan Turing.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- So that's how important he was.- Wow.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Without Turing and Bletchley code-breakers like Jean,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43the war could have been lost.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46We've seen how codes can hide secret messages.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50But that's not the only thing that codes are good for.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52It's the Genius Top Five!
0:10:52 > 0:10:54At five, the barcode.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57When you're in a shop, this is how the checkout computer knows
0:10:57 > 0:11:01whether you've bought a bag of crisps or a grand piano.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Four - postcodes.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06A collection of letters and numbers that mean your birthday cards
0:11:06 > 0:11:08are delivered to the right address. Well, mostly!
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Do you mind signing for this?
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Three - dress codes.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Fancy dress, smart casual, or no trainers - a few key words
0:11:17 > 0:11:20that tell everyone what they should wear on a special occasion.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Two - Morse code,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26a way of communicating using sounds or lights that go on and off.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32One - the secret code to Dick's safe in which he keeps his prized
0:11:32 > 0:11:34golden bratwurst.
0:11:34 > 0:11:35I'd love to know that!
0:11:39 > 0:11:43We've learned how Alan Turing helped break the Enigma code.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46But, remember, this genius also came up with the idea
0:11:46 > 0:11:48of the modern computer.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'Later on, we see who's best at designing a special
0:11:53 > 0:11:54'show on computer.'
0:11:54 > 0:11:56CHEERING
0:11:56 > 0:11:57You just wait and see!
0:11:57 > 0:11:59BANG!
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Now, breaking the Enigma code was pretty impressive for Turing,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07but what we're really interested in is his work on computers.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Which is why we've come to meet a very special stand-up comedian.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Naturally!
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Meet the Number Ninja,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17otherwise known as Matt Parker,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21a comedian who combines clever maths with cheesy jokes.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24If you had six apples in one hand
0:12:24 > 0:12:27and seven in the other, what have you got?
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Big hands!
0:12:29 > 0:12:33Why do maths textbooks always look so depressed?
0:12:33 > 0:12:34They've got a lot of problems!
0:12:34 > 0:12:36What do you think, Alan?
0:12:36 > 0:12:38I don't get it.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Yeah. Great set, Matt, but can you tell us
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- a little bit more about Turing's genius with computers?- Yes.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46But first, guys, I think you need a quick crash course
0:12:46 > 0:12:49in the history of computing.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52This strange-looking machine, built in 1935,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56was what was called a computer before Alan Turing came along.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58MACHINE RUMBLES Stop the machine!
0:12:58 > 0:13:01This isn't a computer, surely? There are no apps,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03there's nowhere to put your headphones...
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Well, actually, the very first computers didn't have apps.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08This is Hartree's differential analyser.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11But the problem is, even though it was called a computer,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13it could only do one thing.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16This machine can solve equations, and that's it.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20It could only do one job because, unlike modern computers,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22it had no memory.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Matt, never mind the past, this looks like something from the future.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29- What is it?- I know, look at this - this is the Baby.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32This was the first computer that actually had memory.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35The memory was actually stored on one of these.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Is that a light bulb?!
0:13:37 > 0:13:42I've got one right here. This would store 128 bytes.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- That's less than a tweet. - That's it?! What?!- Not many, then!
0:13:44 > 0:13:46- Not megabytes, gigabytes...? - Less than a tweet.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49This is the world's first memory where you could store numbers,
0:13:49 > 0:13:51and those numbers were the instructions
0:13:51 > 0:13:53to run the whole computer.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55You could actually load a program into the memory.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59OK, so whereas the Enigma ran off letters, this runs off numbers.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Yeah, when it comes to computers, it's all about the numbers.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05And from this, we can carry all the way through to modern computers,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07right down to laptops and smartphones.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09What is that?
0:14:09 > 0:14:10- That is a computer.- What?!
0:14:10 > 0:14:12But I don't understand how that's a computer.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14It looks like a circuit board.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17To be a computer, it's got a few components that Turing
0:14:17 > 0:14:19invented back in the 1930s,
0:14:19 > 0:14:21and to show you what those components are,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23- I've brought a laptop.- Mm-hm.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26We're going to need to pull this laptop apart.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28Flip it over on the back. OK.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32- Now, we've got some screwdrivers there.- There's a bit there.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34This is the hard drive, the memory,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37so that's where all the information is stored.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- THEY LAUGH - OK, that's one way to do it.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41- Very efficient!- Look at all that.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44And this is the brain, the processor of the computer.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46So Turing's genius was to realise
0:14:46 > 0:14:49you could have these components and that the memory could store
0:14:49 > 0:14:52numbers that then tell the processor what to do.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58'Yes, way back in 1936, Turing had the brilliant idea that
0:14:58 > 0:15:02'computers, like those we use today, needed memory to store numbers...
0:15:02 > 0:15:05'and a processor to calculate them.'
0:15:05 > 0:15:08'He realised that these parts could work just with instructions
0:15:08 > 0:15:10'given by numbers.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13'But how does that work? We need some help!
0:15:13 > 0:15:17'This is Fran. She just loves experimenting...'
0:15:17 > 0:15:18Whoa!
0:15:18 > 0:15:21'..to help explain the ideas of our geniuses.' Agh!
0:15:21 > 0:15:24'And she's sure to pop up just when you really need her.'
0:15:25 > 0:15:27- Hello, boys!- All right, Fran?
0:15:27 > 0:15:30We seem to have magically joined you in what looks like
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- an Italian restaurant.- Yes. - Never mind that.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Fran, we still don't understand how on earth a computer,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39with just ten numbers, can do everything that it does.
0:15:39 > 0:15:40Well, here's the interesting thing.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43A computer doesn't actually use ten numbers,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46it just uses two numbers - one and zero.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50No, no, no! A computer cannot work just from two digits.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52There's no way.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Let's make pizza.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Of course, yes, the science of computers via pizza.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02'As usual, there's method in Fran's madness.'
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Fran, what have you done there?! What a mess!
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Because making a pizza, like giving a computer instructions,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11is all about going for one option or the other.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Now, because we're not computers, we're humans, we're not going
0:16:15 > 0:16:19to use ones and zeros. Instead, we're going to use "yes" and "no".
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Essentially, it's the same thing.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24- It's two different options - one, zero, yes, no.- OK.- All right.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28- Right?- OK. - So, would you like some cheese?
0:16:28 > 0:16:30- Yes, no?- Yes.- Yes.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Put it on your pizzas, then. Would you like some ham?
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- Yes.- No.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Lastly, would you like some pineapple?
0:16:37 > 0:16:41- DICK AND DOM:- Yes.- Yeah. - Actually, no.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44So, I've got three yeses. He's got a yes and two noes.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45What does that all mean?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48The important thing here is that they actually look different,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and all you guys did was answer one of two options -
0:16:51 > 0:16:53a yes or a no.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57But by doing that differently, you ended up with different results.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59And, let's face it, we didn't even have that many options as well.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01No, you only had three options.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04So, in fact, you could have made one of eight different pizzas.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06Ah, just with three options.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And here are the eight different pizzas we could have made
0:17:10 > 0:17:14using a tomato base and a choice of cheese, ham or pineapple topping.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21This is all well and good, Fran, and we are now starving,
0:17:21 > 0:17:22but what's it got to do with computers?
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Well, just like you guys used yes and no to make different pizzas,
0:17:25 > 0:17:30computers use ones and zeros to carry out different tasks.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32- Ahhh!- OK, OK. - Right, we get it now, yeah.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37So, we give a computer instructions every time
0:17:37 > 0:17:40we press the keyboard because that sends a number code to tell
0:17:40 > 0:17:42the computer what option to go for.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44You've got it, boys!
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Ah, Matt, I think we have finally seen the light.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52But can we see what Fran's taught us on a computer?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Absolutely. I have all these binary numbers here for you.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56These are all different options.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- So many options, basically made up from ones and zeros.- Exactly.
0:17:59 > 0:18:04Number codes in ones and zeros like this are called binary numbers,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08and they're a way of simplifying ten digits down to just two.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10Now, because we're not all fluent in binary,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12I've also got them as normal numbers.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15And in this case, they're options for colours.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18And the bigger the number, the brighter the colour.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20So you can change your option for the brightness by making
0:18:20 > 0:18:23the numbers bigger, and it gradually gets brighter and brighter.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27- Oh, I see.- And then the smaller numbers you can see are really dark.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29And I've done three different colours.
0:18:29 > 0:18:30I've got red, green and blue.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32And that repeats all the way down my spreadsheet.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34You can see, actually, it's a huge spreadsheet.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36I have lots of numbers, all different colours.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39So what I'm going to do is start to zoom out
0:18:39 > 0:18:41so you can see more numbers at once.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- There's a picture appearing. - An eye. Is it an eye?
0:18:44 > 0:18:46Yes. If I zoom as far out as I can go, you can
0:18:46 > 0:18:48- see that these numbers... - DICK AND DOM:- Ohhh!
0:18:48 > 0:18:50..form a picture of you boys!
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- Awful! You got some wrong numbers! - So we're made up of numbers.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55These are numbers of you.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57And this is Turing's incredible idea,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01that absolutely anything can be turned into numbers.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03Ain't that something!
0:19:03 > 0:19:07But not everyone with a computer is a genius.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10It's the Not So Genius Idea!
0:19:10 > 0:19:14In 2008, in America, a man worried about burglars stealing his computer
0:19:14 > 0:19:16while he was away on holiday
0:19:16 > 0:19:19decided to hide his laptop in the oven.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23Unfortunately, his wife returned from holiday before he did,
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and turned on the oven to cook a chicken!
0:19:26 > 0:19:29The bird got roasted and so did his laptop.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33So, there you have it, a dangerous and not so genius place
0:19:33 > 0:19:34to put your computer.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37And it goes without saying, do not try this at home!
0:19:37 > 0:19:40And don't FRY this at home either! Ha-ha-ha!
0:19:42 > 0:19:46OK, we've seen how number codes are behind everything that
0:19:46 > 0:19:48a computer does.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50And with enough number codes,
0:19:50 > 0:19:52computers can do incredibly complicated things,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and us lot often don't even know it!
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Here at Transport for London's headquarters,
0:19:57 > 0:20:02a supercomputer that controls 3,000 traffic lights across London.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05It uses a clever system called SCOOT.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09That stands for Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Catchy name, eh?
0:20:11 > 0:20:14But what SCOOT does is use sensors buried in the road
0:20:14 > 0:20:17that measure how many cars are passing over.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18It crunches those numbers
0:20:18 > 0:20:22and changes the timings on the lights to help keep the traffic flowing.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Right, here goes. Drive on, driver.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Time to see this ingenious traffic computer system in action.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Meet traffic controller Neil Wood.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36With the help of SCOOT and CCTV cameras,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Neil's going to follow Dick's taxi along London's streets.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Have you got our lovely flags out?
0:20:43 > 0:20:45The royal Dick and Dom flags are waving.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46We can see you. Let me zoom in.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48How much longer for these lights?
0:20:48 > 0:20:49All right, all right.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51It's changing now.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53- OK, it's changing now, right now. - Yes, they are!
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Ha-ha! They changed.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Coming up to St George's Circus.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Oh, is that you? Yeah, there you go.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Where is he?
0:21:05 > 0:21:06Oh, yeah, I can see you now.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Move your camera about a bit, Dom.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- I'm going up.- Up.
0:21:10 > 0:21:11I'm going down.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Weird that he can see me
0:21:13 > 0:21:16on those cameras in a car in the middle of London.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17Bit of traffic ahead here.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Yeah, we're just looking at that, seeing what SCOOT's doing.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- Go on, SCOOT, how are you going to sort THIS one out?- Right now?- Yeah.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Rich, Neil's actually going to sort this problem out right now.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28He's going to try and make this traffic flow
0:21:28 > 0:21:30a little bit more freely for you.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Excellent. Well, it's on green. We're starting to move!
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Even though SCOOT is constantly changing the traffic light timings,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Neil can still make adjustments of his own.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Well, thank you very much! We're moving!
0:21:41 > 0:21:44Nearly home. The eagle has nearly landed.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47You'll see me in a minute. I'm just coming to the end of the street.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Now, really, this is an amazing bit of kit.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54It's all thanks to Alan Turing, really.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57We managed to free up some of the red lights to go green
0:21:57 > 0:21:59so that he can get round it a lot quicker
0:21:59 > 0:22:02and we've tracked him all the way round.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Really, this is genius.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Right, now kiss that bloke! HE SMACKS HIS LIPS
0:22:06 > 0:22:09LAUGHTER
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Now, that WAS a computer programme. Brilliant!
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Yeah, and it's all down to Turing's original idea.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16And it's given us inspiration for our own genius idea.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Yeah, we're going to create and control something very special
0:22:20 > 0:22:22- using a computer. - Something spectacular!
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- Yeah, something explosive!- Fireworks!
0:22:24 > 0:22:29Our own genius computer-controlled fireworks extravaganza!
0:22:30 > 0:22:36Our Genius Idea - use computer code to put on a scorcher of a show.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Yes, we're going to each design on computer
0:22:38 > 0:22:42our own firework spectacular and set it to music.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45The challenge - will our virtual display be good enough
0:22:45 > 0:22:47to turn into a real firework display
0:22:47 > 0:22:51that will wow an audience of thousands?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54The problem - neither of us are computer programmers,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56and we can't be trusted with explosives.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59BANGING
0:22:59 > 0:23:00Meet Joe Webb.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04He's a pyro-musical choreographer and he's going to help us
0:23:04 > 0:23:06each design a minute-long display on computer.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Joe, what exactly does a pyro-musical choreographer actually do?
0:23:13 > 0:23:15It's some title, I've got to say.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19We design fireworks with music on the computer on a grand scale.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21But how do you design a display on a computer?
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Well, you start off with a music file...
0:23:23 > 0:23:25And that is exactly what we owe to Turing,
0:23:25 > 0:23:30cos here you've taken a music song and you've turned it into numbers.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Ah, you showed us where numbers represent colours,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36- and now Joe's showing us where numbers represent sounds.- Exactly.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40'Right, I'm designing my display first and I've chosen my music.'
0:23:40 > 0:23:43- Nice one!- So how many fireworks do you think we're going to use?
0:23:43 > 0:23:45- About one a second.- One a second!
0:23:45 > 0:23:47We've got a nice slice called a dragon slice.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49IN DRAMATIC VOICE: A dragon slice!
0:23:49 > 0:23:50I like the sound of this.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55'Enough of that. Now it's my turn to design.'
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- So you want to use Rock It by Sub Focus?- Yeah.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01It's meatier, it's stronger, it's harder and it's faster
0:24:01 > 0:24:03than Dom's tune. "Bang, bang, bang."
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- What have you got in mind? - A few mines, a few comets.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Should kick in quite nicely with a bit of fireworks behind it.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12The computer's going to be working at full pelt on this tune.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14It's going to smash yours out the water.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Yeah, nice! That's great!
0:24:16 > 0:24:18And I take it, with a display like this,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21you're going to use far more fireworks, aren't you?
0:24:21 > 0:24:22Yeah, we'll use about 125 in this one.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24And how long's the track?
0:24:24 > 0:24:26It's a minute and nine seconds.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28- More bang for your buck! - How many's that per...?
0:24:28 > 0:24:31It's about 1.811 fireworks per second.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33Oh, which is over 72% more than you had.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38It's a good job we've got a mathematician here, really, isn't it?
0:24:40 > 0:24:43It's the day of the real display.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46As darkness falls, the last few fireworks are carefully laid
0:24:46 > 0:24:49and wired up so they can be triggered by computer.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51And a lot depends on that computer
0:24:51 > 0:24:54because thousands of people are coming out tonight.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Yep, we're part of a big firework display at Barton-under-Needwood
0:24:58 > 0:24:59in Staffordshire.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- ANNOUNCER:- We've got Dick & Dom! - You all right?!
0:25:02 > 0:25:04CROWD: Yeah! DOM: Good!
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Who's ready to see some fireworks?!
0:25:06 > 0:25:07CHEERING
0:25:07 > 0:25:10We've designed a virtual display
0:25:10 > 0:25:13which has now been turned into the real thing.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17It's down to you lot - yeah, all 5,000 of you -
0:25:17 > 0:25:18to decide who the winner is.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Will it be me, Dick?
0:25:20 > 0:25:22CROWD: No!
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Or will it be the little fella, Dom?
0:25:24 > 0:25:26CHEERING
0:25:26 > 0:25:28You just wait and see.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30See you in a bit, folks!
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Right, here we are. Here's the truck,
0:25:32 > 0:25:36which is basically where the button is that we press to make it all go.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Yeah, most importantly, there is the computer.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Three, two, one...fire.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47MUSIC: "Hey Boy Hey Girl" by The Chemical Brothers
0:25:52 > 0:25:54We're off!
0:25:54 > 0:25:55Just like it was on the computer.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57- Exactly the same!- Yeah!
0:26:00 > 0:26:02- Yeah!- Oh, that's a good one.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Yeah!
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Not bad.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Oh, yeah.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12CHEERING Shout for Dom's!
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Look! This is Dick's.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Ho-ho-ho-ho!
0:26:19 > 0:26:21MUSIC: "Rock It" by Sub Focus
0:26:27 > 0:26:30That looks fantastic.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32There it is, in real life.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35In its full glory.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37All because of Alan Turing.
0:26:38 > 0:26:39Aren't they good?!
0:26:39 > 0:26:43But now the big test, people. Which one was the best?
0:26:43 > 0:26:45So give us a big cheer
0:26:45 > 0:26:47if you thought it was Dom's.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49MUTED CHEERING
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- I think it's unanimous, really! - Ten people at the front!
0:26:52 > 0:26:56So, give us a big cheer if you thought Dick's was better!
0:26:56 > 0:26:59LOUD CHEERING
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Winner! Winner! Winner!
0:27:02 > 0:27:03I've been done.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Alan Turing - what a genius!
0:27:07 > 0:27:09From his wartime code-breaking...
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- Bratwurst.- Bratwurst.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15..to his truly world-changing idea of the modern computer.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17An invention that can do anything,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20from flying planes to controlling traffic.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- It changed!- And means we can put on a firework display
0:27:23 > 0:27:25at the touch of a keyboard.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Alan, you are... BOTH: ..an Absolute Genius!
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Glad to be of service, boys.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34Boom!
0:27:34 > 0:27:36HE CHUCKLES
0:27:39 > 0:27:41DOM SHRIEKS
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Argh!
0:27:43 > 0:27:44- It smacked me in the face!- Dom's...
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Oh, no!
0:27:47 > 0:27:50What are you doing?!
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Let me get it straight!
0:27:52 > 0:27:53Oh!
0:27:53 > 0:27:55What's all that?! What's all the black stuff?
0:27:55 > 0:27:57THEY SHRIEK AND GIGGLE
0:28:00 > 0:28:03THEY SHRIEK