Augusta Ada Bryon - Ada Lovelace

Sadie Lewis
History of Mathematics- Paper 2

May 1, 2017

Augusta Ada Bryon, better know as Ada Lovelace, must be recognized for achievements in the world of mathematics.  Not only was she a tremendous mathematician, but also she was able to accomplish a great amount in this field, which many of her female contemporaries were unable to do.  Working alongside many scholars such as, William Frends, William King, Mary Somerville, Augustus de Morgan, and most importantly Charles Babbage, she was able to contribute many influential findings. Ada Lovelace, although not fully recognized until the 1950s, has contributions widely used in the world of writing and mathematics as well as computer programming.

        Born on December 10th, 1815, Ada Lovelace was almost immediately immersed into her studies.  At 8 months old, Ada’s father, Lord Byron, left her and her mother and did not return.  Due to this Ada’s mother, Anne Isabelle Milbanke, forced tutors in math and science upon her because she believed it “would prevent Lovelace from developing her father's moody and unpredictable temperament” (biography.com).  She also had many other passions including, playing instruments, dancing, gymnastics, and riding, but her mother would not allow her to pursue these interests.  She was homeschooled in math and science by Willian Frend, a social reformer, William King, the family’s doctor, as well as Mary Somerville, an astronomer and mathematician.  

“When Ada Lovelace was twelve years old, she wanted to fly” (The New Yorker), which led her to examine the anatomy of birds as well as materials that could create wings.  Through her research she created a model for a flight machine titled “Flyology.”  In this, she described what equipment she would need, as well as necessary proportions of wings, and also included illustrations (wseas.us).  This was Lovelace’s first major accomplishment, but she forced to leave it behind by her mother in order to get back to her studies.  

In 1833, Ada Lovelace was presented with an incredible opportunity when she met Charles Babbage.  At this time, Babbage was discussing his invention of a machine called the “Difference Machine” which was a designed to compute mathematical calculations.  Intrigued with this topic, Ada maintained a close relationship with Babbage and later began working with him on a new project he titled the “Analytical Engine” (The New Yorker).  

Generally considered the first computer, the Analytical Engine was designed to compute “any calculation set before it” (Britannica.com). It was designed and made up of four parts called the mill, the store, the reader, and the printer, which are still the main components of the computers we use today.  “The mill was the calculating unit, analogous to the central processing unit (CPU) in a modern computer; the store was where data were held prior to processing, exactly analogous to memory and storage in today’s computers; and the reader and printer were the input and output devices” (Britannica.com). Although similar to the difference engine, the Analytical Engine was far more complex.  In fact, by most common definitions of today, this invention would be considered a computer.