The very impressive Augusta Ada Byron
Here's another giant in computer science -- Augusta Ada Byron. Research this 19th century woman and find her connection to modern computer science theory. Who was she, what were her major accomplishments, what OS is named for her (no, not the Augusta - grin), and how was she connected with Babbage.
History -- it's the gift that keeps on giving! Add your comments on Byron, and blog on!
17 Comments:
Just think if she would have never had the hot's for Charles Babbage. But because of this we all get to celebrate with joyious punch cards...yay..
known as the first computer programmer because of her complex programs, the most complex of which to calculate the sequence of Bernoulli numbers.
Augusta Ada Byron's connection to modern computer science is that she predicted that such a machine from Babbage's words whom she met at a dinner party in 1834, might be used to compose complex music, produce graphics, and be used for practical and scientific use. She was the daughter of Lord Byron and later became Lady Lovelace, her accomplishments were a plan that the engine could calculate Bernoulli numbers which later became known as "Ada" in her honor.
Augusta ada byron and Charles Babbage idea creating a calculation machine was cool.She understood Babbage plans and she knew he can keep its promise to built the machine.because of their accomplishment we have what we call today a general purpose computer. Luis Cordero
Ada is named after Augusta Ada Byron (1815-52). She helped Charles Babbage develop programs for the analytic engine, the first mechanical computer. She is considered by many to be the world's first programmer.
by deuce
Countess of Lovelace translated Babbage's Analytical Engine from French to English and adding her
own comments from the notes that she had elaborating the original paper. It was published in 1843. She was known as the first computer programmer.
S.J
Augusta Ada Byron was a lady that that was before her time. She was born in 1815 when ladies of position were supposed to marry and have children. She did this but was also tutored in mathematics. This came in handy when she started meeting with and working Charles Babbage and Mary Somerville. She also knew Charles Dickens.
What she is really known for is during a nine-month period in 1842-1843, she translated for Babbage, Italian mathematician Luigi Federico Menebrea memoir on Babbage's newest proposed machine, the Analytical Engine. While translating she found mistakes in the formula for calculating Bernoulli numbers and sent it back for amendment. This is later became known as the first computer program.
She died at the age of 37 just like her father, Lord Byron.
The Department of Defense named its new software in 1980 after her. It is called Ada. This is used in real time computations. This language is used in programs like SAP.
While history may debate her role in mathematics she did play a role in how numbers are calculated using Bernoulli numbers in a Analytical Engine.
Alan W
Lady Lovelace's foresight is also quite amazing. Think of more modern contributors to computer science who predicted that there was a very small world market and application for personal computers.
A century before the creation of anything modern students would likely recognize as a computer, Augusta Ada Byron was capable of imagining the multitude of uses that could be derived from Babbage's invention, while computer engineers in our own century couldn't imagine using even one megabyte of memory within the bounds of a program.
-Jeff
Biographers have noted that Lovelace struggled with mathematics, and there is some debate as to whether Lovelace understood deeply the concepts behind programming Babbage's engine, or was more of a figurehead used by Babbage for public relations purposes.
Interesting quote from the wikipedia entry on Augusta Ada:
Her prose acknowledged some possibilities of the machine which Babbage never published, such as speculating that "the Engine might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent."
she was very good at math and loved music. she wanted to be an analyst and a metaphysician and Her understanding of mathematics was laced with imagination ~Byron Shaw~
The previous post I made was made from information obtained from Wikipeida. forgot to Cite.
Augusta was a very modern woman in her time. in reading about her I really admire her ability to 'think outside the box,' following in her mother's footsteps and using her fathers gift for words. I can't believe she mostly self-educated herself in mathematics. Although brilliant, she was still a normal person with flaws. That is very inspiring.
she came up with this thing called Bernoulli's Numbers....as an example of how an implicit function may be worked out by the engine without having been worked out by human head and hand."
and this was widely accepted as the first computer program. Although it was never tested during her lifetime, when used in today's computers, Ada's Bernoulli calculation program for specialised calculus operations achieves the correct values.
Augusta Ada Byron made a progame for the department of defense. She got the idea from an idea that babages had.
I think it is great that we have peolpe with such intelligence, focus, and vision to create and shape our world.
I think it is great that we have peolpe with such intelligence, focus, and vision to create and shape our world.
LC
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