Ada Lovelace Flashcards
When was Ada Lovelace born?
December 10, 1815.
Who was Ada Lovelace’s famous father?
The poet Lord Byron.
What is Ada Lovelace best known for?
Being the world’s first computer programmer.
Why did Ada Lovelace’s mother emphasize her education in mathematics and science?
To counterbalance any potential “poetic madness” Ada might have inherited from her father.
Who was Charles Babbage?
A mathematician, inventor, and mechanical engineer who designed the Analytical Engine.
What was the Analytical Engine?
A mechanical general-purpose computer conceptualized by Charles Babbage.
What important mathematical concept did Ada Lovelace include in her notes?
Bernoulli numbers.
What significant work did Ada Lovelace do between 1842-1843?
She translated an article about the Analytical Engine and added her own extensive notes.
What vision did Ada Lovelace have about the future of computers?
She foresaw that computers could perform tasks beyond arithmetic, including creating music and art.
Why is Ada Lovelace considered the first computer programmer?
She described the first algorithm intended to be executed by a machine.
When did Ada Lovelace pass away, and what was the cause?
November 27, 1852, from uterine cancer.
What was one of Ada Lovelace’s most visionary ideas?
That computers could manipulate symbols and be used for tasks other than numerical calculations.
When did Ada Lovelace’s contributions begin to gain recognition?
In the early 20th century, when her work was rediscovered by early computer scientists.
What programming language was named after Ada Lovelace?
The Ada programming language, named in 1979 by the U.S. Department of Defense.
What is Ada Lovelace Day, and why is it celebrated?
It is an annual event celebrating the contributions of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
