
291
Chapter 10
Limits of Computation
e 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. We are all, by
any practical denition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error.
HAL
e computer in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey[1]
OBJECTIVES
• To recognize that computers are not, and will never be, foolproof or
limitless in their problem-solving potential
• To recognize that computing capacity is a two-part issue, consist-
ing of storage capacity and processing speed, with processing speed
being the more important