Babbage's Analytical Engine
Computers tend to be associated with the rise of digital electronics in the 20th century. However, the concept of a mechanical computation device dates as far back as the ancient Greek Antikythera mechanism from the second century BCE. In the early modern age, French philosopher Blaise Pascal outlined a mechanical calculator that could assist with basic arithmetic in 1642. Beginning in 1819, Babbage began designing and building various different models of a mechanical difference engine which was capable of solving polynomial equations. It was for one such Babbage device, the analytical engine, that Ada Lovelace is credited with writing the first computer program. Lovelace’s program was never able to run as Babbage was never able to build his theorized analytical engine due to its cost and complexity. While later electronic computers did not build directly on Babbage’s work, his designs are a significant milestone in the history of computing.
Charles Babbage (1791-1871).
Passages from the Life of a Philosopher. London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, 1864.
Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/asa/Record/273190
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