Computer science Models of computation Concept
Model of computation
Summary
A model of computation is a precise mathematical description of how a machine computes an output from an input. It fixes the allowed basic steps and how they are combined, so that the cost of a computation can be measured. Examples are the Turing machine, the register machine, the random-access machine, Boolean circuits and the lambda calculus. Without such a model, statements like "no algorithm solves this problem" or "this needs quadratic time" have no exact meaning.
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| Tag | YFHEG4GYHW |
|---|---|
| URI | m2://YFHEG4GYHW |
| Kind | concept |
| Writing | W0 stub |
| MSC | 68Q04, 03D10 |
| Same as | |
| Changed | 3 November 2026 |
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Special cases
- Random-access machine
- Pushdown automaton
- Decision tree model
- Probabilistic Turing machine
- Nondeterministic Turing machine
- Boolean circuit
- Register machine
- Multitape Turing machine