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The First Computer Programmer

The First Computer Programmer

By Mario ThomasPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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The First Computer Programmer
Photo by Florian Olivo on Unsplash

When does one think the main computer came into being? What does one think of the 80s? 60s? 40s? What if I told you that the pc was invented back in 1837, the main inventor of this device was the daughter of the world's most famous poets?

Ada Lovelace, in a way, sounds more like a character from the steampunk novel than a real real woman, but this brilliant mathematician is not only, but also, in a sense, a programming mother, thanks to her active part in proto-computer by Charles Babbage: Analytical Engine.

Everything you do, from making calls to your smartphone to reading this text, is in part thanks to the diligence and ingenuity of the beloved Ada Lovelace, a leading computer designer.

Charles Babbage and Analytical Engine

Before we discuss Ada Lovelace's contributions to computer programming, let us first consider the case of Charles Babbage, the first father of Analytical Engine.

Babbage was an English mathematician who had gained fame and recognition after his days at Cambridge University. Babbage learned complex mathematical concepts, in particular, calculus.

At that time, calculations were done entirely by hand, and, in addition, they were calculated by the brain. While both of them are still students and teachers, Charles Babbage will see that the wrong calculation can lead to misconceptions, especially when they are faced with surprisingly complex ideas. He wished he could remove the human error within the calculation process in order to direct the whole process.

So, he named the Difference Engine.

This simple machine will be perfect for calculating polynomial functions and other complex calculations that one might suspect. He was able to install a series of valves and tubes to accurately measure everything. Compared to default abacus.

We can compare it to a calculator.

Babbage was not on the neurotic side, however, and his desperate demands from his colleagues led everyone to resume work easily before it was completed. However, by the mid-1830s, Babbage had advanced beyond the Engine range.

It makes progress on the phone. He builds a truly sophisticated machine, which will not only solve polynomial tasks, but any real mathematics. By inserting punch cards into the machine, it can change its functions to solve any problem.

Babbage called it the Analytical Engine.

We call it a pc.

And this is often where the image comes from Ada Lovelace, the chief computer designer.

Daughter of King Byron

It was called Lord Byron, absolutely | one in between | one in all >> one of the leading poets in all of Europe, so the man who was at a party with Shelley when she was pregnant with Frankenstein, had a lady everywhere in the harbor. And, although that is true, and with many immodest children, Lord Byron had a bride, Anne Isabella Milbanke, or Lady Wentworth. Together, they conceived their daughter, Ada, who was born in 1815.

A month after Ada's birth, Lord Byron left. Ada's mother was always angry with King Byron, seeing him as a madman who took him off his feet, but left him hard when he lost his offspring. Ada’s mother encouraged her daughter to pursue a strong, intelligent mathematical world, in contrast to Lord Byron’s poetry and splendor. Despite her mother's intentions, however, Ada was always admired by her father, reading her poems and her accounts in amazement.

Byron died when Ada was just eight years old with the flu.

Apparently Ada got the constitution of her father's illness, but, as she grew up, she was always sick. This has left her helpless, leaving her pale and weak. But it did give him more time to read and study, which enriched his mathematical brain.

Ada would eventually marry William King in 1835. In 1838, William King would become the Earl of Lovelace, and Ada would become the Countess of Lovelace. Ada Lovelace.

But Ada's story begins long before she became a star. It all started in 1833, when he, then 18 years old, first met Charles Babbage.

The first computer virus

Ada, a sickly crippled girl, had a classmate. Her former pastor was involved during a scandal that was cleverly covered by Ada. She and Ada had a small relationship and tried to escape, but Lady Wentworth realized that this did not make the papers.

Enter Mary Somerville.

Mary Somerville was a Scottish scientist and polymath. Although not a master computer programmer, Somerville was incredibly talented, having gained fame in his field as a talented writer of science and calculus. He loved Ada's mother, Lady Wentworth, and was very happy to show Ada the numbers, in line with her mother's wishes (Lady Wentworth did not want another Byron in her family).

Somerville had met Charles Babbage earlier at educational events, and heard him talk about Difference Engine. the idea of ​​this device pleased him, for he often encountered polynomial functions in his studies, and understood the importance of a machine that would eliminate human error.

Ada had also learned about Cabbage, and urged Somerville to introduce her to a scientist. Somerville did just that Ada's life allows her to be seen. For most of his 17 years, he needed directional sticks around the house.

Ada and Charles Babbage have been beating him since they met. Ada bewitched an old mathematician with her mathematical skills and poetic idea. For Babbage, she was "Lady Fairy," in part because Ada informed her that, when she was 12, she had tried to create wings to resist gravity.

While Ada insisted on meeting simple minds in England at the time (including Charles Dickens), she always seemed to like Charles Babbage.

A month later Babbage showed the type of Ada of Difference Engine.

And, from there, Ada Lovelace, the main computer

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