Scribd
Upload
106 views5 pages

Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage is credited with designing the first digital automatic computer in the early 1800s. He conceived of the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine, which contained concepts like stored-program architecture found in modern computers. While neither machine was fully built in his lifetime due to technological limitations, his ideas paved the way for future computer development.

Uploaded by

harjikaur264
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
106 views5 pages

Charles Babbage

Charles Babbage is credited with designing the first digital automatic computer in the early 1800s. He conceived of the Difference Engine and Analytical Engine, which contained concepts like stored-program architecture found in modern computers. While neither machine was fully built in his lifetime due to technological limitations, his ideas paved the way for future computer development.

Uploaded by

harjikaur264
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

Computer Science / Computer Science

Charles Babbage, The Father of the


Computer
4 min read 05_17_2022

Charles Babbage (1791–1871) was an English mathematician and inventor. He is credited


with designing the first digital automatic computer, which contained all the essential
concepts found in the ones we use today.

Born in London, Charles Babbage studied at Trinity College Cambridge — although he had already
taught himself many aspects of contemporary mathematics. It was during this time that he first had
the idea of mechanically calculating mathematical tables. In 1823, he obtained government support to
design a projected machine, the Difference Engine, with a 20-decimal capacity. Like modern
computers, it could store data for later processing. Charles began developing the mechanical
engineering techniques while serving as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of
Cambridge. However, the full room-sized engine was never built as the metalworking techniques of the
era were not precise enough and too costly.

“Errors using inadequate data are much less than


those using no data at all.”

Brilliant Ideas Before Their Time

By the mid-1830s, Charles was already preparing plans for an improved and more complex design: the
Analytical Engine, the precursor of the modern digital computer. He envisaged that it would be capable
of performing any arithmetical operation based on instructions from punched cards, a memory unit to
store numbers, sequential control, and many other basics found in present-day computers. The project
was far more advanced than anything that had ever been built before — with a memory unit large
enough to hold 1,000 50-digit numbers. It was intended to be steam-driven and run by one attendant.
In 1843, Charles Babbage’s friend mathematician Ada Lovelace published a paper explaining how the
engine could perform a sequence of calculations. The first computer program was born.

The Analytical Engine, however, was never completed. The ambitious design was, once again, difficult
to implement with the technology that existed in the 19th century. In 1991, British scientists built the
Difference Engine No. 2 — accurate to 31 digits — to Charles’ specifications. Their success indicates that
his idea would have worked. In 2000, the printer for the Difference Engine was also built.

In addition to inventing early computer concepts, Charles Babbage also helped establish the modern
postal system in England and compiled the first reliable actuarial tables. He invented a speedometer,
as well as the train cow-catcher to deflect obstacles on the track.

Key Dates

1812
LEARNING FROM EUROPE
Charles Babbage helps found the Analytical Society to introduce mathematical developments from
Europe to England.
1816
EARLY RECOGNITION
Charles Babbage is elected a fellow of the Royal Society of London. He also plays a key role in founding
the Royal Astronomical (1820) and Statistical (1834) Societies.

1832
INDUSTRIAL INSIGHTS
Charles Babbage publishes “On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures,” which explores the
organization of industrial production. The book sells well and goes to a fourth edition.

Share

Next Article
Computer Science

Bell Labs: The Idea Factory

Discover more articles

Computer Science Computer Science


John Forbes Nash Jr., The Mathematics Charles Babbage, The Father of the
Genius Computer
05_17_2022 05_17_2022

Computer Science Computer Science


Bell Labs: The Idea Factory Karen Spärck Jones: The Search Engineer
08_30_2021 Enabler
08_25_2021

Your inbox will love Data Science!


SUBMIT

Dataiku.com | Privacy Policy


Legal Stuff

BROUGHT
TO YOU BY

You might also like