Turing Tumble
Turing Tumble is a game and demonstration of logic gates via mechanical computer. Named after Alan Turing, the game itself is advertised as Turing complete, and can (abstractly) duplicate the processes of any computer whatsoever if the game field were sufficiently large. It is also PSPACE complete by the circuit value problem, and in its method of operation has implications for nanotechnology.

Although it resembles a pachinko machine in its aesthetic use of gravity-fed metal balls, it is primarily a teaching device in the fundamentals of logic-computer programming, and as such is an example of gamification. The framing device in the included comic book features an astronaut who must solve sixty increasingly difficult logic problems which illustrate the fundamentals of computer programming. The impetus of the puzzle itself was the frustration of the programmer and chemistry professor Paul Boswell (along with his wife, Alyssa Boswell, a DIY maker), then at the University of Minnesota, at the lack of computing prowess of other scientists which was necessary for their own projects; he was already well known for programming complex games for Texas Instruments computers. They were also inspired by the Digi-Comp II, a precursor from the late 1960s.
Q11410
game
Concept
Q170451
logic gate
Concept
Q6591619
mechanical computer
Concept
Q7251
Alan Turing
PER
Q197970
Turing complete
Concept
Q905967
PSPACE complete
LOC
Q905789
circuit value problem
MISC
Q11468
nanotechnology
Concept
Q836661
pachinko
Concept
Q35986
aesthetic
Concept
Q8078
logic
Concept
Q80006
computer programming
Concept
Q1067402
gamification
Concept
Q1505819
framing device
Concept
Q1760610
comic book
Concept
Q13698
puzzle
Concept
Q26384
DIY
ORG
Q2947235
maker
Concept
Q238101
University of Minnesota
LOC
Q193412
Texas Instruments
ORG
Q5275699
Digi-Comp II
UNK
Q85811120
Turing Tumble
MEDIA
1960-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1960
DATE
named after