harles
Babbage (1791-1871), computer pioneer, designed the first automatic
computing engines. He invented computers but failed to build them. The
first complete Babbage Engine was completed in London in 2002, 153 years
after it was designed. Difference Engine No. 2, built faithfully to the
original drawings, consists of 8,000 parts, weighs five tons, and
measures 11 feet long.We invite you to learn more about this extraordinary object, its designer Charles Babbage and the team of people who undertook to build it. Discover the wonder of a future already passed. A sight no Victorian ever saw.
An identical Engine completed in March 2008 is on display at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
Web text by Doron Swade
Difference Engine No. 2. in operation:
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| Difference Engine No. 1, detail, 1832 |
Hop over to the Computer History Museum for fascinating information and videos on this inventor.
Oh, and be prepared to spend a LOT of time!
http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/
I'm in gear heaven!!
So I had to know why it works. Dr. Math to the rescue.
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http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/53223.html
Terry
Fla.
Way, way beyond what my pea brain can understand, Terry - wish I could, though. I only know accounting. Just in awe of someone like Babbage who can think like that.....
DeleteActually the method should really appeal to an accountant. That is the beauty of the method, adding and subtracting, hence difference engine. I should have known about it but didn't. Now I am off on a quest to see if I can figure out how they uesd it to compute log and trig tables. Too many years since school and math wasn't my greatest subject.
ReplyDeleteOldest son was an accountant but moved into management.
Happy differencing,
Terry
Fla.
The beauty of it is that someone else figured it out and I get to see the results! It's really the gears - I love anything with gears....
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