4 ms·
Babbage's Difference Engine was later built by others shortly after, producing log tables. The original idea was Müller's who preceeded Babbage. Babbage produce
by deepnet 10y ago
Babbage's Difference Engine was later built by others shortly after, producing log tables. The original idea was Müller's who preceeded Babbage. Babbage produced a workable implementation.
The mechanical method of finite differences was built in many successor machines, mechanical calculators are myriad til the 1980's.
The methods were also used by the original computers, rooms of people computing parts of a sum - these very methods were used at Bletchly Park during the war.
Turing had read Babbages writings. The methods of mechanical calculation informed his Bombe machine.
The Analytical engine though never built directly inspired most early computer pioneers just to believe it was possible.
Lovelace's vision of automatic computation of numbers representing algebras, thoughts & music - directly inspired Alan Turing and A.I.
Punch cards were used in most early computers but this idea originates much earlier with Jacquard and his programmable weaving looms.
Babbage also proposed a packet switching semaphore network on church steeples, never built but his exposition of the efficiencies of packet switching was part of its history.
- mafribe 10y agoBabbage also proposed a packet switching semaphore network Interesting. Could you point me towards a description of Babbage's ideas?
- deepnet 10y agoPerhaps from his other writings or I misremembered a bit but present in parts in "Economy of Machinery and Manufactures", Babbage 1832, (1846 edition) ..."In order to convey the cylinder which contains the letters, it would only be necessary to attach it by a string, or by a catch, to either of the branches of the endless wire. Thus it would be con- veyed speedily to the next station, where it would be removed by the attendant to the commencement of the next wire, and so forwarded."..."Perhaps if the steeples of churches, properly selected, were made use of, connecting them by a few intermediate stations with some great central building, as, for instance, with the top of St. Paul's"..."it might be possible to diminish the expense of the two-penny post, and make deliveries every half hour over the greater part of the metropolis." On National Speaking tubes: ..."Admitting it to be possible between London and Liverpool, about seventeen minutes would elapse before the words spoken at one end would reach the other extremity of the pipe." On semaphore & telegraph: "At Liverpool a system of signals is established for the purposes of commerce, so that each merchant can communicate with his own vessel long before she arrives in the port." https://archive.org/details/oneconomyofmachi00babbrich https://archive.org/details/oneconomyofmachi00babbrich