Charles Babbage and the Engines of PerfectionCharles Babbage, "the grandfather of the modern computer," did not live to see even one of his calculating machines at work. A dazzling genius with vision extending far beyond the limitations of the Victorian age, Babbage successfully calculated a table of logarithms during his years at Cambridge University, allowing mathematical calculations to be executed with extreme precision. Only the possibility of human error prevented complete accuracy, and Babbage understood that the only way to attain perfection is to leave the human mind entirely out of the equation. He devoted most of his life and spent most of his private fortune and government stipend trying to improve his difference engines and analytical engines. Bruce Collier and James MacLachlan chronicle Babbage's education and scientific career, his remarkably active social life and long string of personal tragedies, his forays into philosophy and economics, his successes and failures, and the biggest disappointment of his life-- his ingenious inventions were centuries ahead of the primitive capabilities of Victorian technology. Oxford Portraits in Science is an on-going series of scientific biographies for young adults. Written by top scholars and writers, each biography examines the personality of its subject as well as the thought process leading to his or her discoveries. These illustrated biographies combine accessible technical information with compelling personal stories to portray the scientists whose work has shaped our understanding of the natural world. |
Contents
401 | 14 |
Inventing the Difference Engine | 35 |
Reform Is in the Air | 49 |
Copyright | |
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active adding addition Airy allowed Analytical Engine Astronomical axes axis Babbage's barrel basic became Brunel building built calculating called Cambridge cards carriage carry central century Charles Babbage Charles's column complete connected consider construction continued described developed Difference Engine digits division drawings early England example Exhibition experience father feet figure friends function Georgiana Henry idea industrial influence interest invented Italy later letter light logarithms London machine machinery mathematical mechanical meeting method MICHIGAN mill moved multiplication Museum needed Newton operation performed Philosopher positions Press principles produce published punched cards returned Royal Society scientific scientists sequence shown soon spent square step studs subtraction successful tion took turn University variable wheels wrote
Bibliographic information
| Title | Charles Babbage and the Engines of Perfection Oxford portraits in science |
| Authors | Bruce Collier, James H. MacLachlan |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 1998 |
| Original from | the University of Michigan |
| Digitized | 1 Feb 2010 |
| ISBN | 0195089979, 9780195089974 |
| Length | 123 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |